Von Iva – Self/Titled EP / 2005 Cochon Records / 6 Tracks / http://www.voniva.com /http://www.cochonrecords.com / Reviewed 19 March 2005

The very throaty vocals of Jillian Ivy mix well with the deep-sounding synthesizers of Becky and chugging bass line of Elizabeth on this disc. Von Iva is a band that was constructed from the ashes of some of the most famous female-driven acts of the last decade (7 Year Bitch, Clone), and as such has the skills and perspective to come up with some truly inspired tracks that sit at the crossroads of rock and new-disco. “Not Hot To Trot” is the dirtier cousin to acts like The Aeffect and The Killers, in that the angular dance grooves that both bands share are more scruffy, the entire Von Iva is more earthy and natural in their use of real instruments. The same braggadocio that comes through on the disc really is shown during the band’s first single, the aforementioned “Not Hot To Trot”. The video itself has the very deliberate and strong motions of lead singer Jillian Iva, and each and every movement in this video has the added effect of strengthening the track. Moving into a more rock style for the track “Soulshaker”, the simultaneous move towards a disco flair in terms of vocals makes for a bizarre mishmash that has not been seen since the “disco” period of KISS.

The ending bars of “Soulshaker” are increasingly being dominated by Jillian’s vocals, and this gives eir carte blanche to really open up eir voice and belt out notes that may not seem proper in the midst of a random Von Iva track. The double-vocals present on the final track, “Solid Gold” have the effect of mixing up the typical delivery found on this disc, and really provide a more viable force against the perfectly-timed drum beats by Lay Lay. The track’s extended length (over forty seconds longer than any other track on this disc) allows for a more sweeping, impressive style to dominate the track. This style, syncopated in the shorter tracks is finally given free reign on “Solid Gold”, and what results is one of the most driving, groove-centric tracks that has been released in the current era. The synthesizers may be a little weak in tracks like “Same Sad Song”, in that they have nowhere near the energy to hold up to the blistering belting of Jillian, even if they do provide a valuable role in fleshing out the track. Pick up this album and look forward to the full length from these ones.

Top Tracks: Solid Gold

Rating: 6.6/10