Indie duo Viva Voce has combined two older CDs, Lovers, Lead the Way! (2003) and The Heat Can Melt Your Brain (2004), into a healthy new offering augmented by eight bonus cuts.
The husband/wife combo consists of Anita and Kevin Robinson, who, with the exception of the concert and radio performances at the end of this set, recorded all these tracks at home.
This is not, however, mom at the piano with the rest of the family gathered ‘round singing in perfect harmony. Instead, Viva Voce create potent psychedelic rock, which is usually fueled by Anita’s spacey electric guitar work.
Mrs. Robinson’s string-bending is most often set to slight dance beats, which skip along lightly beneath her airy vocals. One of Anita’s best instrumental moments arrives with “The Lucky Ones,” where she takes a flattering Neil Young-like solo.
But this two-disc set’s unexpected pleasure is a live version of “Tonight You Belong to Me.” On it, Kevin and Anita harmonize like lovebirds cooing during a Depression-era radio hour. And rather than being saturated in guitar pyrotechnics, these sweethearts are instead accompanied by Anita’s acoustic guitar and Kevin’s melodica. Elsewhere, song titles like “Free Nude Celebs” are meant for shock value because the lyrics display love, not lust.
Compared side by side, there isn’t much difference between Lovers, Lead the Way! and The Heat Can Melt Your Brain, except that Lovers, Lead The Way! is a more stripped-down effort. Whereas The Heat Can Melt Your Brain sizzles in an abundance of brain-frying guitar feedback, songs like “Wrecking Ball” on Lovers, Lead the Way! exemplify bouncy new-wave rock.
– Dan MacIntosh
Viva Voce: www.vivavoce.com
Amore!Phonics: www.amorephonics.com