Every now and then, I feel like I’m sent an album to review that Paul is fairly confident is not something I’d usually listen to in the comfort of my own 4 walls. To keep me on my toes. For whatever reason Viva Machine‘s album has landed on my proverbial doorstep, it’s not my usual fare – so forgive the awkward links to other bands’ sounds. They have a certain jovial, upbeat thing going on. As a die-hard Elliott Smith fan, it’s taken me a bit by surprise.
Viva Machine sound like a mixture of Biffy Clyro, Weezer and someone a bit mincey from the mid-90s, like Bis, albeit tinged with a lot of the current, arguably slightly clich̩ sound Рthe ridiculously overdone synths, the high, gender-bending moments of falsetto vocals and the pop sensibilities. They do it fucking well Рthis album sounds polished to fuck, and if my local newsagent still stocked the NME, I would probably see them in it very soon.
There may be a slight sense of style over substance – it’s all a little contrived, but Viva Machine do have something that a lot of bands like this don’t have – a nice big sound on their record. I’m just not sure that in 2009, with so much music competing for your attention, this lot quite offer enough. Its music that doesn’t speak to me. But then, I’m just another reviewer who’s probably old and out of touch.
Mike