Viva Voce

Dust off the Pixies records, dig out those classic Alternative Press mags with Velocity Girl and the Afghan Whigs on the cover, and reminisce about the rumored romance between Juliana Hatfield and Evan Dando. Wasn't '90s college rock great? Viva Voce's Kevin and Anita Robinson show the way back to those halcyon days. Alabama expats turned Portland's perfect couple, the duo makes merry rawk that's well-suited to the cynic and sap in all of us. The painfully sweet pop confections found on its Barsuk-friendly fourth album, Get Yr Blood Sucked Out, surely give the Silver Jews' David and Cassie Berman a run for their camaraderie. Get trippy on the epic guitar psychedelics of "So Many Miles," and embrace the woozy golden tones of "Faster Than a Dead Horse" while honoring the Incredible Hulk's own Dr. David Bruce Banner on the eerie, piano-laden interlude "Bill Bixby." Any minds untouched by the 2004 opus The Heat Can Melt Your Brain had better prepare to be blown.