Vivienne The Witch is a trio from Italy, made out of three young women who want to revive the awesome sound of female rock in the nineties. Personally, I can only applaud that mission, certainly when the music is this good. Besides, the album is mastered by Lorenzo Stecconi (Lento, Ufomammut, Zu), so there's no doubting about the overall sound and quality. Man, I wish it was summer already.
The album opens with the friendly but grainy 'Strange Day', a classic grunge track that would have been an instant hit back in the days. It's not too complicated and the chorus is quite easy to sing along with, making it a possible audience favorite. 'A Sparkling Explosion' is even more friendly at times, reminding me a bit of that dreadful 'Two Princes' song by Spin Doctors. Luckily, this Italian trio does something good with it.
'Bad Dog' is one of my favorite tracks here. On this one, the girls show their true talent and come up with an excellent piece of songwriting and vintage grunge music. It also seems to open the door towards psychedelic rock influences, something that successfully returns in the mighty song 'Reason Why I Laugh And Cry' and the gloomy ballad 'One Step To The River'. All songs prove that these girls have been listening to the entire history of rock music.
If you're a grunge fan, nostalgic for those sun-drenched festivals with warm beers, cold fries, wet grass and muddy feed, you have to check out this little gem. This certainly feels as if you just got out of your tent after two hours of sleep, grab that first lukewarm coffee and drag yourself towards the stage, the only place where something really interesting is happening. Damn, I wish these were the nineties again...
Serge