Von Iva pumps beats, little else

‘ ‘ ‘ Von Iva’s Girls On Film EP takes on the genre of dance rock, bringing the beats to the… ‘ ‘ ‘ Von Iva’s Girls On Film EP takes on the genre of dance rock, bringing the beats to the masses ‘mdash; and little else. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ This six-song disc features equal parts new material and revisited material from 2001’s Our Own Island. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ You can’t land on a track that doesn’t turn up the beat and make the pulse race with dance-rock energy. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ If you’re looking to feel the power of the synthesizer, you’ve got it on ‘Birds of Prey’ or ‘Lala.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ And there’s nothing wrong with some synth-rich pop. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ But there is a time and place. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Von Iva’s never-quit approach to the beat is a perfect match with the want-to-quit center that is the gym. Feel motivated enough to get dressed in your sweats and tennis shoes, but not to spend 30 minutes on the treadmill? Von Iva is your friend. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Decide to wait until 3 a.m. the night before to finish your term paper? Von Iva is your friend. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Want to dance the night away? Von Iva is your friend. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Now, there are only so many ways you can play a soul-style vocal with a pulsing dance beat. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Unless you’re hyped up on Red Bull and speed, that stuff can get old pretty quick. Then, you get your musical energy crash, confining your listening habits to sleepy folk songs and chamomile tea to recoup. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ That doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s just not multipurpose. There’s no range here, no reprieve from the pounding beat. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Only once does the band get remotely close to a change of pace. And if Girls On Film can claim one stand-out song, it’s ‘Emerald Eyes.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The lyrics don’t scream poetry, with gems like ‘I get lost in the sky of your emerald eyes.’ But if you want poetry with your dance-rock, you might have to sync up your favorite techno groove to a reading of William Butler Yeats. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ It has a vintage feel, with a drumbeat pacing the tune to dance step-like rhythm. It could be a doo-wop classic with that underlying bass. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Only Jillian Iva’s vocals and a key change that brings in a bit of that Von Iva style piece this one together with its synthesizer-loving siblings. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ It would be nice to see the softer side of Von Iva for just one song. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ To quote ‘Birds Of Prey:’ ‘I need a change.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Choose your music wisely. Take Von Iva for what it does well. Dance the energetic dance of the caffeine-addled children. Embrace the beat. Love it or hate it, but know Von Iva can use a synthesizer like it’s 1989.