Tag: kanye west

Review:: The Introduction | Viv and the Revival

Chances are that you’ve head a song from Viv and the Revival, you just might not realize it. The one man band from Philadelphia has had its music played on the likes of NBC, ESPN, and MTV, in films and in commercials. This is a trend that is likely to continue with the release of the band’s full length album, The Introduction.

It’s impossible to describe what the band, or album for that matter, sounds like. Each song seems different from the next with styles varying from rock, to pop punk, and even hip hop. What does remain the same throughout the album, however, is Viv Peyrat’s clearly amazing song crafting ability.

A song like “Fire” is crafted to pop perfection.  Right from the start of the song you’re bulldozed by an infection melody and before you get a chance to recover you’ll find yourself steamrolled with a catchy hook.  Then you’ve got a song like “Criminals”, which is essentially the story of Jane, Johnny and their love.  A slower, smoother, and much deeper track all together.

If you told me that “Welcome to a Good Time” was a new song from a top hip hop artist, I wouldn’t doubt you in the slightest. This is a clearly hip hop inspired party song and it is unbelievably infectious.  The most balanced and maybe my favorite song on the album is “Rocket to Mars”. It takes a little bit of every other song on the album and melds it together into a fun, catchy, Andrew McMahon-esqe track.

One of the producers on The Introduction was Grammy-nominated Rick Friedrich, who has worked with the likes of Kanye West and Rihanna; it shows. Names like that may make you think that this is a straight pop album, which might turn some people off; it isn’t. I guarantee that there is something for everyone on this album and in my opinion there are far more hits than misses on the album.

Release Date: October 8th, 2013
Rating: 3.75/5
Runtime: 36 minutes

Track List:
1. I Want It
2. Criminals
3. Welcome to a Good Time
4. Nikki
5. Shook Up
6. Fire
7. Forever
8. Rocket to Mars
9. Taxi Man
10. Playing with Fire
11. Tonight We Live Like Kings

–

Written By: Mark Northern