The Vines Aren't Quite Highly Evolved Yet, But Mark My Words...
Written: Oct 05 '02
Product Rating:
Pros: Great guitar work and vocals, some cool harmonies and arrangements
Cons: They show their influences just a little too much. But is that really that bad?
The Bottom Line: If The Vines starred in a porno, they'd have the World record for longest sex scene. They just came along ten years (at least) too late. Give it a listen
headlessparrot's Full Review: Highly Evolved by The Vines
Perhaps record companies the world over have finally realized that they are never going to win the fight against music sharing if they keep: a) releasing music that isn’t worth the smell of my vomit, and b) charging ridiculously large amounts of money for it. I can’t even begin to count the number of times that I’ve had to pay over $25 Cdn for a record that I desperately wanted. In all fairness, I’ve stuck to record buying in spite of the record companies’ actions. But recently, my support has been tested - and the record companies are doing nothing to try and win their audiences back. I’m not going to pay $20 + for a product that invariably end up being inferior to what I was expecting.
Maybe, though, just maybe, the days of these multi-national conglomerates charging an arm and three testicles for a poor product are over. I took a trip the mall yesterday evening, and encountered something that I’ve never once seen in ten years of sifting through aisles of record after record: a CD under twelve dollars. And I’m not talking the bargain bin crap or a special three week sale. I’m talking an honest-to-God, brand new CD on sale for $10.99. Maybe Universal and Geffen and EMI have finally figured out that they aren’t going to win the battle through lawsuits. Or it could be pure luck, but either way, I must admit I was rather intrigued.
The album in question? The Vines debut album, Highly Evolved - a jewel case that shone like a beacon throughout the annals of music history…. Or not. So anyways, I decided, “Hey, what the hell?” and picked up the album, along with the new Rolling Stones hits collection and a really b*tching ALF poster (remember ALF? Well he’s back, in POG form… or something to that extent) that features the lovable creature posing with the fiendishly delightful caption of “Got Cat?” Oh, what hilarity!
Long story short, after wandering the mall for several more hours, my friends and I headed back to my house where we partook in our usual tradition of Burger King, South Park and then some football on the street in front of my house. Unfortunately, my piece of crap neighbour actually had the gall to threaten us and then call the police because “we were playing near his pick-up truck, man.” Here’s an idea: park your pick-up truck in your driveway, and maybe it won’t get hit by an errant football. More surprisingly, though, was the fact that the cops actually showed up. And of course, my always racing brain had about twenty thousand things in it that I wanted to say (my personal favourite being “Shouldn’t you guys be out preventing and solving real crimes?”), but I clamped my mouth shut to avoid an LAPD-style beatdown.
But I digress, because that’s really not the point here. The point here was about my brand-spanking new ALF post…. I mean Vines CD. I went down into my basement, and after tacking my Alien Life Form to the wall (right next to a poster of my beloved SpongeBob), I put The Vines major-label debut into the CD-Drive of my computer and cranked the volume.
After years of crap dominating the airwaves, it appears that maybe real good music is slowly moving back to the forefront of our culture today. Ten years of boy bands, detuned guitar wankers, and pseudo-grunge popsters has been more than enough for me. And indeed, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen an *NYSNC video or a Slipknot interview broadcast on MuchMusic or the local radio station (although there’s no doubt that these groups will continue to prosper because of extreme levels of stupidity found in municipal water sources the world over). In it’s place, a new music has arrived. Stripped-down, bare bones guitar rock has become the new standard for greatness in the here and now. The Strokes were the first to receive the critical acclaim and popularity, but soon other bands like The White Stripes and The Hives were getting into the action, mainly because of the fact that they were in the right place at the right time.
Such is the case with The Vines, a group out of a country more known for it’s beer and it’s history as a prison island than it's music - Australia. Formed by singer/guitarist Craig Nicholls and bassist Patrick Matthews while working at their local McDonald’s - which begs the question, “Do Australian McDonald’s restaurants have McDingo sandwiches?”- around the middle of the 1990’s, The Vines were fueled by a love of two things. No, not the milkshakes and Big Macs, but rather, an inherent love of two bands: Nirvana and the Beatles.
The band spent quite a while playing Nirvana and Kinks covers at local parties before they attracted any interest at all. But eventually, it came and the group was signed by a British record company, who released the group’s first single. That single, Factory, garnered enough interest that the boys (along with their third member, drummer David Oliffe) were able to sign a major label deal with Capitol Records, the purveyor of such classic albums as Dark Side Of The Moon and Band Of Gypsys (in addition to a lot of crap, but that's not what I'm getting with this here). In 2001, The Vines finally began production on what would become their first record. Almost ironically, one of the men responsible for mixing the record was Andy Wallace, who was responsible for mixing the majority of Nirvana’s breakthrough sophomore effort. A coincidence, or something more? I guess we won’t know, although with the band’s sound the way it is, all signs almost surely point to ‘yes’.
Despite the buzz already surrounding the group in Europe, it wasn’t until early 2002 that the group’s success began to cross over to North America. But when the single Get Free hit the airwaves, everyone knew that it had begun. The band only reaffirmed their abilities with the next single, Outtathaway! a blistering rock number featuring wild feedback and brutally abrasive vocals.
Upon first listen, the parallels between the Vines and Nirvana are too many to count. However, underneath the droning guitars and distortion-drenched riffs is a softer and slightly more gentle approach vocally. The vocals sometimes do get the wild, stripped-down treatment, but they almost always have a positive edge to them. Kurt Cobain, on the other hand, was a master of hurt, dark humour, and biting cynicism. In truth, the Vines owe as much to the Beatles than they do to Nirvana when it comes to approach. Some claim that this is corporate rock at it’s worst. The first time I heard Get Free, I would have agreed, but upon listening to their entire album, I’m inclined to believe otherwise. The group’s dynamics, their harmonies, and their ability to write a real nice tune on a piano, leads me to believe that there’s something more to the Vines than there is to the Hives or even the Strokes. It’s really not the group’s fault that they just happened to be coming up in the world when the latest alt-rock craze began. Good music is good music, no matter when it comes along. I myself have long since grown weary of the Strokes and every other band of their kind - but the Vines are fresh, and have a whole different approach towards the “new” garage rock movement.
The Strokes had very little sense of dynamics or dramatics at all. As already mentioned, the Vines on the other hand, are capable of creating amazing harmonies and some fantastic piano work. This means that the album Highly Evolved sounds fresh even when I listen to it over and over again. The Strokes, in comparison, have an album in which every song is so similar to one another that if you’ve heard two or three cuts, then you’ve heard them all (and yes, I realize that I’m being highly critical of an album that I previously gave four stars to, and I’m not usually one to change opinions, but these things just need to be said).
In addition to their song writing skills and abilities, the group are apparently also masters of understatement, as evidenced by the absolute plainness of the jewel case and liner notes. Another reviewer, updateghost I believe made an argument that the album cover and notes were so pointlessly devoid of anything that they contributed to the records miserable quality. I have to wonder what the cover has to do with anything. Yeah, it’s plain. Is it really that big a deal? I mean, at least the band doesn’t fancy themselves so great that they’re deserving of a 3-D record cover with a moving picture and a specially designed slipcase or fancy shaped jewel case. I think it’s interesting just how toned down the cover is. Just compare two albums sitting next to each other in your local record store. Would you be more inclined to buy a record with a nice and glossy cover with some nice T&A on the cover, or the Vines record with… well… uh, vines? It really says something about the music. In the words of Joe Perry, let the music do the talking (not that Joe Perry should really be able to say that anymore, because Aerosmith hasn’t released a worthwhile song since the mid-to-late eighties).
Highly Evolved begins with the title track, a short 1:34 burst of pure punk rock energy that sounds like it came right out of Nirvana’s In Utero. At least it does until the lyrics begin. Although singer/songwriter Craig Nicholl’s voice is reminiscent of many of the grunge forefathers (especially the aforementioned Cobain), the writing is much different in it’s message. Whereas grunge was a ‘f*ck you’ message to the rest of the world, the Vines seem to be able to reaffirm the positives in life in addition to being able to write some classic tales of downward spiral and love lost. The line “If you feel low/You can buy love/From a payphone/I don’t feel low” seems to hearken back to some of the more silly Beatles numbers with their outlandish and goofy lyrics. My only complaint here is that the track ends too quickly. I think Highly Evolved had more potential as a song than what the group made of it.
Autumn Shade is the first example on Highly Evolved of the Vines’ actual versatility as songwriters and musicians. The guitars are slowed down and the distortion becomes far less extreme. An acoustic guitar strums and bassist Patrick Matthews plays a very soft piano line. My first reaction to this song was that it reminded me of I’m Only Sleeping by the Beatles - yet another example of the likeness the group shares with the Fab Four. Outtathaway, the latest single from the record is just a pure burst of rock style and energy, beginning with some wild feedback before rolling back to a less-distorted verse. As the song continues and we reach the chorus, the guitars pick up and the feedback creeps into the same. Nicholls sings in a very Cobain-ish manner, employing the same high pitched squeal as his hero.
Sunshinin, a steady “standard” rock number, is followed by another ballad - Homesick - which owes even more to the Beatles (and John Lennon in particular) than does Autumn Shade. This a melodic number that uses smooth and intricate piano work, melded with some very fluid guitar work on the part of Nicholls. He sings about the loneliness of being on the road and away from loved ones; and he does it concisely and to the point. The song is very powerful and potent, although it isn’t exactly as good as the number that it bears a resemblance to: Imagine.
The Vines first garnered success in the U.S. with the single Get Free, a number based on a classic chord progression and rhythm structure that several bands have used before with triumph, chief among them Negative Creep by Nirvana. This is where the ‘corporate pseudo-grunge’ talk originated from, but I don’t think it’s fair for the band to be criticized for using a similar song structure. Even Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain admitted that most of his riffs were ripped off from the Pixies, yet people seemed to turn a blind eye to that fact. It would be pretty hypocritical to hold the Vines use of a rhythm pattern against them. Get Free is a fast-paced number not unlike Highly Evolved, but this is one of the more forlorn numbers here, lamenting the loss of a girlfriend.
Country Yard resembles Homesick, with an intro that reminds me of Do You Really Want To Hurt Me from the Wedding Singer (you know the one, “I hope you f*cking choke!”).
Factory also reminds me of another song, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what it is. I’ve been racking my brain for the past four hours trying to figure it out. Factory was the Vines first taste of fame anywhere, their first single on a major label. The song appears here unchanged, with a very fun structure and an almost ska-type guitar part playing over the verses.
Next comes In The Jungle, which is followed by Mary Jane, a number that sounds like the Vines tribute to Dear Prudence. In fact, I just got bored and played the two songs together simultaneously, with the result being an almost eerie resemblance between the two. The guitar part fits almost perfectly with the Beatles classic, so much so that I could hardly separate one song from the other (until the vocals kick in anyways). Is the song about a girl, though? Well, that’s highly doubtful based on the recent Rolling Stone article which claimed that Nicholls, the band’s primary writer smoked “an ungodly amount of pot” and brings his bong around everywhere he goes. Hey man, nothing wrong with a little bit of indulgence.
Ain’t No Room is an excellent hard rock number with processed vocals that sound like they’re being delivered through a tiny speaker. I love the chorus, featuring a very sweet guitar riff:
There ain’t no room for me in the city
The lights go down but it looks so pretty
So take me away from the corner
Let me hide away in the fauna
With something at my side
1969 is a fitting ending for Highly Evolved, a song that has Nicholls longing for the self-indulgent, gratifying days of rock and roll at the end of the hippie era. 1969 is probably the hardest song on Highly Evolved in the sense of a guitar riff: the actual riff contributes more to the thunderous power of the song than does any feedback or distortion actually used on it.
Highly Evolved, despite what people may say about it, is a solid debut by a solid band. I am steadfast in my hatred of the current popular culture scene, but there’s just something about the Vines that appeals to the more primal aspects of my being. Sometimes you just want to want to let loose and go wild, which is one of the more prominent aspects of the group’s music. Sure, the band owes a great deal to the Beatles, Nirvana, and even the Kinks, but so does just about every musician who has come along since the Beatles parted ways. Ozzy Osbourne wanted to be like the Beatles. KISS wanted to be the Beatles of heavy metal. And even Kurt Cobain had a love affair with the group’s music from his youth all the way to adulthood. It’s good to finally have a band come along that actually has an appreciation for rock history like the Vines do. Yeah, there’s imitation here, but you have to remember that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. So it may seem like the Vines came along ten years too late, but you just have to give the group time. The Vines have a tremendous amount of talent and potential; give them time and they will outgrow their influences and become their own entity.
Craig Nicholls claims to have hundreds of songs locked away in his brain that haven’t yet been put to tape. In fact, he actually wanted Highly Evolved to be a double album. And this is a young man who has a deep connection with his music. He believes in the power of music; how it can heal and invigorate even the most damaged and withered soul. And this makes me feel just a little warmer about the future of popular music.
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