Apr
08

Douglas Martin’s Dirty Shoes: Share the Joy and Vivian Girls’ Lateral Shift

If you hadn’t noticed, Douglas Martin has been known to enjoy the occasional Vivian Girls song. It’s hard to resist the temptation of opening this piece with an unfortunate cliché like “Vivian Girls have grown up so fast” without wanting to shove my computer monitor through the window and then jump out of it to… Continue reading »

Feb
08

Douglas Martin’s Dirty Shoes: The Indie Rock Pop Quiz (Vivian Girls Edition)

Douglas Martin played semi-pro kickball for several years in the late ’80s. Do you spend more than 70 hours a week trawling indie rock websites squinting bleary-eyed until you think the members of Women are actually women? Have you ever thought about the concept of feminism beyond stale images of Gloria Steinem burning her bra… Continue reading »

Oct
13

Douglas Martin’s Dirty Shoes: La Sera – “Never Come Around”

Katy Goodman always represented the softer side of Vivian Girls. While Cassie Ramone provided the bleating vocals and thrashy guitars reminiscent of rusting chainsaws, Goodman was responsible for the pop element of the group, with her melodic basslines and airy high harmonies drenched in reverb. What’s made Vivian Girls one of the more exciting bands… Continue reading »