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Rating: I have been eagerly awaiting this third effort from the Sydney band: in my opinion, "Winning Days" was an excellent album, even superior to their debut "Highly Evolved".
This valley of visions leaves a bit of a bitter taste, especially after the first listens: the duration is what it is, and it's pointless to extend the final "Spaceship" (arguably the best track on the album) over 6 minutes just because the other tracks don't reach half an hour.... It's well known that Nicholls' technique leaves something to be desired, the solos always emphasize the singing, and there are riffs borrowed here and there: Anysound (self-reference?) and the beginning of the title track that sounds like Wonderwall.
This year's vulgarity only favored the Babyshambles with "Fuck forever", and "Fuck yeh" is more of a low point in Mr. Nicholls' songwriting than a solid rock 'n' roll piece. Despite this, however, the album is easy to listen to, reaching its peak in the ballads: "Take me back" and "going gone", although they somewhat remind us of "Winning days" and "Autumn shade", they have great melodies, and Craig's voice, with its famous overlapping counter-melodies, never bores (see "Candy daze").
And as a famous philosopher says: better than a lot of crap out there...
p.s.
you might say everything's been said, blah blah, but I love this band and I am free to review it, because thanks to Silvio, we are in a democratic country
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Anysound (01:55)
I am a Vine
All twisted and frayed
Lookin' for light
A million ways
Time hangin' around
Been getting' me down now baby yeah
Show me any sound
Kill me now I'm dead
Keep for yourself
Or throw it away
Damage your health
Or manage your brain
Time hangin' around
Been getting' me down now baby yeah
Show me any sound
Kill me now I'm dead
02 Nothin's Comin' (02:00)
Tell where I'm going to
Got nothing I wanna lose
Round and round and back again
Grin upon my fuckin head
Nothin's comin
I feel your death
Nothin's comin
Fallin' in or outta space
So sick of our human race
All for one ain't nothing real
Tell you how I fuckin feel
Nothin's comin'
I feel your death
Nothin's comin'
Nothin's comin'
Nothin's comin'
Nothin's comin'
03 Candy Daze (01:40)
Candy daze are here to stay forever
They light the way and keep us all together
C'mon C'mon
Singin' a song
It won't be long
For we are gone
Candy daze are here to stay forever
They light the way and keep us all together
It'll be alright
I don't know I say it might
It'll seem alright
She spit in my face
04 Vision Valley (02:42)
Are you here forever standin' by the road
With the benefit of feelin' on your own
Where the river ends the sun is comin' down
05 Don't Listen to the Radio (02:10)
Don't listen to the radio
Hear something that ya ready know
I got no radio
Don't speak upon the telephone
Hear somethin' that you're never shown
I got no telephone
Get out the way today
(Oh yeah I say)
Get out the way today
(Oh yeah I say)
Don't listen to the TV show
Feel someone that you ready know
I got no T.V.O
Get out the way today
(Oh yeah I say)
Get out the way today
(Oh yeah I say)
06 Gross Out (01:18)
C'mon now let me feel the gross out ain't corruptin' you
Alone and trippin' out on acid agein' in your room
I feel so down
Time bring me round
C'mon now let me feel the gross out obvious and aloof
I know ya never had a faith in all that which ya knew
I feel so down
Time bring me round
C'mon now let me feel the gross out
C'mon I'll let ya feel the gross out
07 Take Me Back (02:42)
There's no point in doin' what I've done
Lives are goddamned ruined like the runts
Take me back to the weather
Bend the tracks wish forever
Take me back for I go down there no more
Chew us up and spit us out again
Wavin' bye and getting high on trends
Take me back to the weather
Bend the tracks and wish forever
Take me back for I go down there no more
Well the road is long
But I know I can survive
Been away so long
Anyway I saw what I could find
10 Futuretarded (01:47)
I don't know how the future started
We might as well all be retarded
Cut from an image turned to stone
Makin' me feel it to the bone
Deep in the jungle or Sahara
Real people carry on regardless
Left unaffected left alone
The sun, the earth, the moon their home
In the beginning
Or the old days
Surreal lives and mine are strange
Oh yeah I say
It's like futuretarded
C'mon baby don't say
C'mon baby don't mind
Every night every day
Everything will be right
11 Dope Train (02:36)
I hear the sound
Comin' up
Goin' down
Danger in the hollow
Sewer on the side
Waitin' for the morrow
Dope to get ya by
See for a mile
What I mean
To decide
Danger in the hollow
Sewer on the side
Waitin for the morrow
Dope to get ya by
You're forever dreamin'
And forever bored
Everything ya needed
I just cold ignore
12 Atmos (01:50)
Out in the atmosphere
Far, far away from here
I hear the sound of you
Tellin ya I love you
If I were anywhere
What me I got no care
As long as I see you
Tellin ya I love you
I really ruley do
13 Spaceship (06:06)
Mother said
Get me out
Brother meant
Get me out
I got a spaceship in the yard
We're only fourteen years apart
Or am I lost beside the stream
Tattoo my head tattoo my feet
I will leave home
Through the vision valley waitin' to be found
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Other reviews
By Adil
What surprises this time are the ballads: Take Me Back and Vision Valley precisely because of their absolute simplicity are the best episodes of this comeback.
Many, however, will prefer to overlook Nicholls' evident musical maturation to better focus the spotlight on his shaky mental health.
By ste84
Here comes the blown-up Craig Nicholls again, returning with his group of poor souls forced to settle for a mentally unstable front man...
In this valley you only see things that have been seen over and over...
By Roberto De Filippis
The album opens with a sort of intro made of limping guitar riffs with four chords in a '70s style supported by Nichols’ energetic and excited voice.
Candy Daze, which shoots off in the manner of Beatles’ intros, continuing to inspire a gentle rubbersoulesque psychedelia that compromises with Nirvana.
