Are they a math rock kind of band? Perhaps they're emo? No, they might just be prog-indie! Whatever kind of music they're doing, Vivian K. are doing it well. The Chicago-based trio's recently released Verses album is a collection of quirky guitar jams that always have catchy melodies woven throughout them.
When we asked the band to contribute to our site, the members of Vivian K. insisted on putting together a list of some of the riffs they've ripped off on their new album and previous EP. As you'll hear below, the guys/gal have some really great taste!
1. Pile, "Uncle Jill" (at 2:05)
Vivian K., "Parasites" (at 1:44)
Pile is one of our favorite bands who we rip off in more than just this song. Everyone rips Pile off. We got to play with Rick from Pile in Nashville last year and Jesse told him that we played a song with a Pile ripoff riff and Rick laughed because Rick is great. We love the way this riff interrupts the tempo and melody of the song.
2. Options, "Horizon" (at 0:43)
Vivian K., "Haunted" (at 0:36)
Options is the solo project of Seth Engel, who plays in pretty much every good band in Chicago, and recorded our Vivisections EP. We once watched a viral video about the "millennial whoop" (a criminally popular vocal melody wherein a singer alternates between the 5th and 3rd notes of a major scale) and in trying to determine whether or not there were any millennial whoops in our songs, we discovered we'd ripped off the vocal melody in the chorus of this song. At least we're not just whooping.
3. Cancer Slug, "I Love Pain" (at 0:00)
Vivian K., "Haunted" (at 2:09)
Sometimes you notice way too late when you've ripped something off. Cass had this song on a mixtape Jesse made her years ago and was the first to notice the rip. Cancer Slug is one of those unfortunately catchy yet problematic bands that you keep giving a pass because their songs meant a lot to you. They probably ripped this melody off from some old soul song anyway.
4. Fk Mt., "Fertilizer" (at 0:03)
Vivian K., "Are Great Secrets Being Held?" (At 0:05)
Fk Mt. (Pronounced "fuck mountain") are some of our best buds on the planet. We got to tour with them last year and watched them play this song 20+ times. It never got old. We all have an affinity for suspiciously Caribbean basslines, especially in dark contexts like the one on this track.
5. Great Deceivers
Vivian K. - First Snow (at 0:00)
Great Deceivers are like our musical dads. We've been playing shows with them since before they relocated to Chicago a few years back. Their bass player, Ben, was our bass player before Cass permanently joined the band. Ben and Jesse used to write riffs together in the back of a Pita Pit in Orlando. Really we just use the same chord at the beginning of the song and the riffs go elsewhere. Regrettably, Great Deceivers have not yet publicly released this song, so you'll just have to watch them play it live and listen to some of their older tunes in anticipation of their next release!
