Band of the Day: Viva City

Have you heard Viva City yet? An UK electronic-rock band that will blow your mind. Currently we only have their 2010 music sampler with six tracks, but those six tracks provide a dance party you can't resist. They played our HIGH VOLTAGE event last night at The Viper Room and if their recorded music wasn't enough, their live show took the band to a whole new level in our eyes. With a high energy stage presence, glam rock style and electronic flare it's possible this band might be music's best kept secret at the moment. However, that won't last long... SPREAD THE WORD - VIVA CITY ROCKS!



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Von Iva - Girls on Film

Von Iva
Girls On Film
(INgrooves)
Reviewed By: Izzy Cihak

Until recently there was thought that there's to be little to be found in the soul of a punk aside from safety pins and dated zines. But with the evolution of bands like the Gossip and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs into acts fit for mainstream consumption, the world of music has found a lush and dance-able electro soulfulness in select punk divas. San Francisco's Von Iva epitomizes this pastiche of sounds with a sincerity and authenticity previously unknown.

The sound of Girls on Film, Von Iva's third release, can only be described as mirror balls shattering under Chuck Taylors. "Livin for It" and "Electricity" are fit to be anthems for rainbow-flavored dance clubs around the world, "Guise" combines the attitude of Max's Kansas City with the musicality of Studio 54, and "Birds of Prey" is the sound of a brassy and sassy brand of feminist eroticism. Von Iva are the perfect example of the kind of girls who are not only elegantly and fashionably out of your league, but who could also beat your ass on and off the dance floor without breaking a sweat or devaluing their designer kicks.

MySpace | Official Site

Cinematic Sunrise - EP

Cinematic Sunrise
A Coloring Storybook and Long-Playing Record
(Equal Vision Records)
Reviewed By: Naimah Holmes

With fans bombarded with 100 new bands a day, bands find it even harder to prove themselves day after day.You'd think things would be easier when you have a built in fanbase. For Craig Owens and Bradley Bell of Chiodos, along with Bryan Beeler (guitar), Marcus VanKirk (bass) and Dave Shapiro (drums) this comes as a welcomed challenge. Owens fronts while Bell takes to the keys in this upbeat, happy go lucky band. It's that light-hearted/good time approach that sets Cinematic Sunrise apart in a landscape of bands that are more into playing up the gloomy side of life. (read more)

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Select Start - The Rotary

Select Start
The Rotary [EP]
reviewed by Naimah Holmes

Nowadays every band has some kind of synth influence to them. The problem with this is that too many of said bands overuse this element of manipulation. Select Start however has found a way to structure their sound around that tool, not the other way around. (read more)


MySpace | PureVolume

You Say Party! We Say Die! - Lose All Time

You Say Party! We Say Die!
Lose All Time [EP]
(Fierce Panda)
reviewed by Jill Wierenga

Consistent with the current dance-punk leanings of their sonar peers, You Say Party! We Say Die! have come to conquer, and these Vancouver natives are not going down without a fight. (read more)

OneTwoThreeFour - Goodbye, Sunshine

OneTwoThreeFour
Goodbye, Sunshine [EP]

It's not often that an EP can astound you within the first few seconds of pressing play. But OneTwoThreeFour, a young five-piece band from New Jersey have seemed to be able to do just that on this — their debut on Regular Music. Singer/songwriter Robin Gazzara, whose solo work previously consisted of acoustic guitar and piano (now accompanied by guitarists Daniel Moran, and Ryan Gardiner later replaced by Zac Ciancaglini, bassist Justin Daniel, and drummer Jason Macri ), shows her range from the punchy "Pantene," to the haunting "Leave Me Sleep." Goodbye, Sunshine's first and strongest track, "Are You Alive," is both evocative and beautiful. It dares you to pick yourself up out of the rut you're in and to live your life to its fullest potential. "Fly Away" is a soulful, light daydream of what ifs and why nots. This EP is a rich, meticulously arranged debut from a band we can only hope will continue to amaze us. — Naimah Holmes

Official Site | MySpace

Pete Nischt - Sandbox

Pete Nischt
Sandbox
(Regular Music)

Pete Nischt's Sandbox EP is the first release from New Jersey's promising indie label Regular Music. "Hello Denver" is a love song to the people and places missed when on the road asking "Please say hello to Denver I'm stuck here alone / Colorado's caling me out." "Second Second Chances" is soft, sweet, and all the things you never say to the one you want. There's a simplicity to the lyrics with lines such as "My best has never been good enough for her." The third track "Sandbox" is by far the strongest lyrically of the bunch. It reminds us that what we perceive of love at a young age may not be all we imagined it to be and that the bumpy road may be just the reality we need. "Stars" questions a relationship and the fate of the narrator. In the final track "June," Nischt shows the complexity of his playing. Lines such as "Make your mind up / Follow your heart / He may love you / but I still love you more," tries to make his loves choice easier.

Sandbox shows sincerity, honesty, and talent - three qualities that are hard to find in music these days. It can only get better from here on out. — Naimah Holmes

MySpace | Official Site | Regular Music