Vines

Album number three finds Sydney, Australia’s the Vines equally escaping and embracing the confines of the snotty, Nirvana-esque rock that plagued them for the early portion of their career. In terms of Vision Valley, they’ve realised that to please others is an invitation for certain doom. Growing into their instruments, half of this record expands beyond the overbearing four-chord attack of Highly Evolved and Winning Days, allowing the band to give things like soft, Cars-ish pop/rockers a shot with admirable results. The lilting sway of the title track is inescapably catchy and an overall air of laidback breeziness emerges that could border on the airy hippie schlock the Beatles fell into were it not for the step back into grunge territory via "Gross Out” and its "On A Plain” harmonies. Sadly, the band do have difficulty shifting out of first gear for the majority of the album resulting in a tough listen for those wanting a bit more mindless raunchiness. But when they do whip it out, it’s a step above their identity crisis-laden sophomore debacle.