Vivian Darkbloom "Know Your Exit"

By Eric Vilas-Boas | Illustration by Meghan Adams

TOP TRACK: "Cold War"

BOTTOM TRACK: "Whatever"

2 Nancies

Four years ago, videos of smarty-pants guitarist Rob Morris went viral. He'd hacked a WiiMote and attached it to his guitar to modulate pitches: tilt up, instant whammy-bar. Lovely. Some teeny-tiny tech trades like Gizmodo and Engadget pooped their pants, as did The Boston Globe. But on Know Your Exit, the debut album from Morris' new band, the gimmick fails to translate into songs.

Lead single "Cold War," like much of the album, sort of works thanks to some audible talent, Wii-assisted guitar solos, and adequate lyrics about a couple in a detente. But the so- called "experimentation" and inventiveness begin and end with video games. Song after song, the subject matter echoes everything we've heard before: relationships, working for the man, feeling invisible, the word "whatever." These age-old lyrical ideas, coupled with predictable, formulaic musicianship based on the work of established artists, ultimately fall flat.

Of course, since Juno helped C-section indie rock into the mainstream, the genre has lost much of its counter-cultural potency. These days, originality hardly matters anymore. Vivian Darkbloom makes music as good as bands like Harlem Shakes or Foster the People.They can still carve their micro-niche among the hordes of fellow mimics.