UmbrellaZine reviews Viv's sophmore release: Flawed
author: UmbrellaZine
FLAWED, the second album release by this up and coming indie band, ISN'T. What it is: Strong poetic/prophetic lyrics, great vocals and hooky tunes. This April 2004 CD release shows ViV has the stuff it takes to move forward. Matt Ostrander is a gifted writer, and the the music is catchy, albeit a bit repetitious, in the style of today's new bands. But hey, then again, recent Springsteen is repetitious in the lyrics, melody, and technique ... we like VIV's album FLAWED release far more than Bruce's recent efforts.
ViV IS Fresh, Growing, Inventive - we think this band shows the potential for getting noticed. FLAWED presents ViV melodically, with a bit of edge showing, and that's a good thing (sorry Martha). It's got insightful lyrics, clever hooks, and yes, even some gems of musicianship on this album. Check out the track Green - from the haunting intro to the interjections of lead guitar - clear punctuation in a swirl of sound. ViV has a lot to say about being in the now ... experiencing reality, feelings, and the world. Shine is clearly the leading track, but the lyrics from Suffer (I feel like a square pig in a round, round mud ... I saw the face of God on a homeless man, He said your eyes are so blind but your soul still sees, And 3am has wide eyes) are as hardhitting as any of the new word-music/rap/spoken standup poetry that's out in the coffeehouses and clubs from Cambridge to LA. This album is catchy (a bit pop) with enough edge and intelligence to get your ear.
FLAWED is not flawed, nor is it lacking ... it's strong. Feels like this band has much more experimentation to conduct, and more complex music will emerge in the next and next and next releases. Jesta recommends you give a listen and then some to ViV's CD FLAWED. You might just think you're back on the East Coast in a Long Island or Cambridge club.
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Crud Magazine UK Reviews Flawed
author: Crud Magazine
Viv's new album "Flawed" feels like the upside of a Dave Grohl mood swing – happy,earnest and direct. It's a collection of tub thumping indie pop; four minute sing-a-longs infused with sensitivity and driven by crunching guitars and big choruses. Although the San Francisco five piece's second album contains the occasional echoes of Blink 182 and Foo Fighters et al, it never feels derivative, simply another (excellent) addition to the grunge-pop genre.
We begin by tumbling into "Friends", a celebration of relationships, followed by "Did I" with Matt Ostrander's vocals sliding over a beautiful two note guitar rhythm sublime in its simplicity.
It's a strong start to the album – in fact any of the songs on "Flawed" are single material, with twists of guitar and simple, driving beats that evoke sun drenched escapes along the highways of our imaginations - simple yet smart lyrics about love and friendship, guitar solos like vapour trails and Ostrander's melodic, yelling vocals reminiscent of a bassier Mercury Rev all go to create a US college radio friendly band that is easy to love.
"Suzanne's Good Eye" is a beautiful rock ballad, an offbeat celebration of karma with its mantra:
Down the road/You get what you deserve
And with its slow descending chorus rolling under throaty harmonies, it's ugly-beautiful in a dreamy, clichéd American kind of way.
"Bob Dylan Said" starts like an ambient version of "Gimme Shelter" before emerging as an oblique love song with the faintest traces of New Wave in its stabbing guitars and darker sounding chorus while "Shine" returns to the grunge-lite feel, although the drums sound programmed and are almost drum n bass.
The album isn't as eclectic as this review may at first suggest – the jangle of guitars and Ostrander's gravelly whine provide the framework within which the band perform, and while there's not a lot that's new here, there is still a lot that's catchy, uplifting and just downright lovable.
With nine tracks, it's a short album but there are no fillers: every track has a chorus worthy of prime time radio and as a whole it's a winning combination of driving simplicity and smart lyrics. "Flawed" is an understated triumph.
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Bettawreckonize Reviews
author: Bettawreckonize
If you're over 26, you were probably right there losing your religion when R.E.M. had their first brush with commercial fame in the nineties. R.E.M. is a band who in my estimation did much to push the door open for today's commercial indie rock boom. I think it's pretty safe to assume that marketing folks would be peddling cars, fries, toothpaste, and WB television shows with hairspray metal had it not been, at least in part, for R.E.M. While their exposure may have pissed off R.E.M.'s core fanbase, I think television commercials are better for it. Before this analogy gets thin let me clarify: while I'm not yet sure VIV has the potential to make as sizeable a contribution to the world of music as R.E.M. has, they are certainly at least one of the high caliber, pristine indie pop bands that will benefit from the doors R.E.M. left open. There are a lot of these kinds of bands, the "music behind the commercial though still a totally legit band" bands out there -- Modest Mouse, The Shins, The Walkmen and Remy Zero are included among these ranks folks. VIV could definitely go toe to toe with well-produced pop bands of their same ilk, bands who have a handle on the finer points of Weezer and The Police, of U2 and Tom Petty. While you're waiting to see which of the WB's lineup will benefit from a VIV-penned theme song, feel free get in on the ground floor and rock out to the perfectly acceptable Flawed. Then you can be one of the smug few, one of their early fanbase, who is entitled to talking shit on them on the internet when they make it big.
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Melodic Reviews Viv's Sophmore release:
author: Melodic
Viv is a band led by singer/songwriter Matt Ostrander that was formed in 2001 and released the debut the same year,together with Steve Bowman-Drums/Justus Dobrin-Keys/Mike Fiorentino-Violin,mandolin,guitar and Erik Semo-Bass they have recorded a fresh and warm sophomore album in "Flawed".
All fans of The Wallflowers,Counting Crows and Rembrandts should look this way coz Viv plays rootsy and mature powerpop which feels ultra melodic.
Matt has a tender and almost fragile voice that in some moments sounds a bit like Bob Dylan but only a little,as a matter of fact they have a song called "Bob Dylan" on this new album,however that song doesn't sound so much like a Dylan tune-it's more of a britpop song in the same vein as Coldplay,Travis and even some Radiohead.
The opening track "Friends" is the highlight of the album with unforgettable melodies both in the verses and the chorus,imagine Wallflowers playing a Blue Oyster Cult tune and you've got "Friends"......sounds weird?!....well it aint.
The rootsy and midwest sounding title track "Flawed" has some major romantic vibes to it,the chorus is made for a long ride in your car....you can play it over and over again.
The last songs on this 9 track album are more acoustic based and drags the tempo down a bit but all in all,it's a record you can't live without.
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