Viva Voce

Anita and Kevin Robinson constitute the entire membership of Viva Voce, and because they're an item off-stage as well as on, their band is sometimes likened to the White Stripes. It's a relief, then, when The Heat Can Melt Your Brain, the duo's new disc for the Minty Fresh imprint,...

By Michael Roberts

September 30, 2004

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Anita and Kevin Robinson constitute the entire membership of Viva Voce, and because they're an item off-stage as well as on, their band is sometimes likened to the White Stripes. It's a relief, then, when The Heat Can Melt Your Brain, the duo's new disc for the Minty Fresh imprint, reveals such comparisons to be completely inappropriate. Rather than going the rockin'-blues route, the Robinsons, who were based in Nashville before relocating to the more indie-friendly environs of Portland, create ambitious modern pop using the most rudimentary techniques imaginable. (In one recent profile, Anita said they got a particularly unusual guitar tone by bouncing sound from a small amplifier into their open stove.) As Brain demonstrates, the pair's music covers an impressively wide range. For instance, "Alive With Pleasure" frames a delicate ditty within anthemic riffing, while "High Highs" offers a trippy take on samba and "They Never Really Wake Up" visits a gently psychedelicized dreamland. Although translating this variety of styles in concert will be a challenge, Anita and Kevin, who appear alongside Magic Cyclops and the Mendoza Line at this date, clearly share an intriguing musical vision that owes diddly to Jack and Meg White. Viva la difference! -- Roberts

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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