Viva Voce

Anita Robinson is an indie guitar goddess who tastefully cranks blistering leads from a double-necked Danelectro. Her husband, Kevin, pulverizes his drum set, trades singing duties, and grabs an acoustic guitar once in a while. With their band, Viva Voce (say Vee-vah Voh-chay), they write delicious pop songs stuffed with pretty hooks and weird twists and turns. After touring last year with their country-rock project Blue Giant, the couple added two members (so the White-Stripes-in-reverse tags no longer stick) and are sporting a fuller sound. Their new album, Rose City, named for their Portland, Oregon, home base, has a humid, late-night feel, with fuzzed-up power pop seeping into spacey singalongs fit for dark highways.