Viva Stereo – Endure the Dark to See the Stars

Over ten years, three albums and numerous EPs, Viva Stereo have stacked hard electronics on a foundation of indie-rock, with previous releases kindred with Cooper Temple Clause or turn-of-the-millennium Primal Scream. Endure the Dark… suggests the Fence mainstays may be inadvertently following Gillespie’s crew rather too closely: if My Own Enemy and Roar Lion Roar were Viva Stereo’s Xtrmntr or Evil Heat, their fourth full-length would be their Riot City Blues (minus the Jagger boner), with the “electro noise beat confusion” of yore thoroughly tamed.

There’s comparably little electronics, it’s rarely noisy, and the only confusion is why they’ve chosen to play things so conventional. With this lengthy caveat out of the way, however, it’s worth celebrating the album’s multiple highs: the title track is especially accomplished, while the closing run from My Beating Heart to We Set Sail evoke, variously, Mogwai, Mazzy Star and My Latest Novel. Viva Viva Stereo, then. [Chris Buckle]