Aussie rockers return from premature grave
Published April 14, 2006
Dysfunctional Aussie trio (formally quartet) The Vines' ascension to the top of the rock world a few years ago was quick and turbulent. The group's meteoric rise and fall could be attributed to a lackluster second album and frontman Craig Nicholls' Asperger Syndrome, a mild form of autism. The diagnosis of the syndrome helped explain Nicholls' erratic behavior, but left many wondering if the band would ever release another album.
The Vines managed to persevere through the tough times and release Vision Valley, a return to form after the sludgy and mean-spirited Winning Days.
With this album, the band is obviously anxious to prove it can still write viable music. It is composed of 13 compact songs. The album finds the boys exploiting their strengths, and though the songs are brief, many pack a mighty wallop, and the rest highlight the band's pop sensibilities.
Nicholls still writes like he is the love child of Kurt Cobain and Paul McCartney, and accordingly about half the songs on the album are frenzied rock songs, and half are Beatlesesque pop ballads. Although the guitars and racket are more raucous than ever, at some points it also is some of Nicholls' best songwriting. He isn't trying to get by on bile and frustration like he was on Winning Days.
No one should worry about what effect a medicated Nicholls will have on the band's sound. Nicholls might have more control of his emotions, but the explosiveness is still there.
The silly sludge and juvenile anger aren't completely gone either. We still get treated to dumb song titles like "Nothin's Comin," "Futuretarded" and "Dope Train," but the overall spirit is more positive and more importantly, fun, than on Winning Days.
Songs like "Candy Daze" and "Vision Valley" are breezy pop without overdoing the breeze, and "Anysound" and "Gross Out" are in the vein of older Vines spastic rock.
The album standout is "Don't Listen To The Radio." A paranoid rocker, it is exciting and frenetic. Crammed with ferocious guitars and having instant catchiness, it is not only the album's highlight, but also one of the year's best rock singles.
It is a shame that the band has fallen off the map in America. There won't be many better listener-friendly records released this year. The songs aren't challenging or complex, but they boast something more important — they are enjoyable.
If The Vines had followed up Highly Evolved with an album like this, then they probably would be the major rock stars they seemed destined to be in 2002. But the band isn't looking in the rearview mirror. Instead of flaming out, The Vines have decided to stick around a little longer.