“Lesson No. 1”
from the album The Heat Can Melt Your Brain
2004
iTunes
Husband and wife team Kevin and Anita Robinson make bottom-heavy, dreamy tunes as Portland, Oregon duo Viva Voce, and they clearly enjoy themselves in the studio. On The Heat Can Melt Your Brain, the couple’s third, they color their whispery melodies, club-ready grooves and understated social criticisms, with fuzzy distortions, washed-out backup vocals and a slew of other mixing board tricks. Along the way, the band sounds psychedelic and electronic (although they play instruments). There’s an element of portent lurking within the songs, as the two sing in stark monotones that turn seemingly hopeful lines like “So happy today’s the day, things will turn around” (“Lesson No. 1”) icy and ironic. And with songs (and song titles) like “Mixtape=Love,” which casts inarticulate lovers failing to communicate, and “Free Nude Celebs,” which is ultimately about hopelessness and loneliness, it seems that Viva Voce (Italian for “by word of mouth”) achieve something greater than simple space jams: sharp, smart stoner rock.