Back in 2002 the music scene was hit with an influx of “The” bands who all were staking out their claim as “rock revivalists.” There were The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Hives and the Vines. The Vines are for the most part forgotten. It is a shame because their debut album “Highly Evolved” was fantastic.

I can’t really say that as a band, The Vines were any good. I saw them in concert back around 2002 and it was probably the worst concert I have ever seen in my life. Sloppy and under rehearsed, the band plowed through songs that were indistinguishable from each other due to lead singer Craig Nicholis screaming non-sense over each song. It made for an entertaining show, seeing a wack job try to “out rock star” himself, but after enjoying the high quality of the songs on the album, it left me unfulfilled.

Where The Vines lacked the skills to perform their songs live, they sure made one hell of an album. Highly Evolved swirls through a mixure of Nirvana inspired grudge, Revolver era Beatles Psychedelia, Beach Boy harmonizing and November Rain style anthems. When it first came out, the band was most compared to Nirvana due to a couple of their songs being straight up grudge, but I think what really makes the album stand out is the quality of “Beatles-esque” songwriting. Songs like Autumn Shade, Sunshinin and Homesick are exactly the kind of dreamy, hazing 60’s style pop songs that I love.

After seeing the band perform live, I wondered to what extent the album excels due to help from producers and a modern studio. But there is no doubt in my mind that Craig Nicholis is a highly gifted songwriter. The band has released three albums since Highly Evolved, but none of them were any good. If you have never heard Highly Evolved, check it out. If you used to listen to it and enjoyed it, hopefully I have remained you of it. If you have heard it and don’t like it, you probably think No Age and Wavves are amazing. Yes, they are decent, but nothing special. Just sayin.

DOWNLOAD:
MP3: The Vines: Autumn Shade