The Vines
Winning Days

THE REVIEW

For once, I feel the need to thank Mtv, and let me tell you why: every time I play this CD, my mind drifts back to that endless sleepless night spent flipping through TV channels, from improbable algebra lessons (...), to unbearable infomercials for paintings or carpets, and glimpses of some shapely girl inviting you in a seductive voice to give her a call for a modest price of 1.50 EUROS per minute! I try to switch to MTV... there's Brand New, the only really interesting program on the whole network, and there's this group I didn't know playing a not-bad song that grabs me immediately because it sounds like that college rock you listen to without too many expectations; in the chorus, the distortions come along with this madman’s screams ("Ride with meeee...")! Everything sounds dirty, rock, yet terribly melodic!

Of course, I get the album, and I have to reveal that I loved it from the first listen for various reasons; one of the main ones is that the Vines know how to navigate well between soft, sweet sounds and rage with distortions. If it's true that songs like "Animal Machine", "Evil Town", "Ride", and the angry "Fuck The World" seem to have come out of Seattle, others like "Autumn Shade 2", "Winning Days", "Amnesia" clearly bear the mark of Liverpool's baronets.
And these guys seem to want to dare more: inserting pure Beatle-like elements in a context ruled by the shadow of Kurt & co... just listen to the verse of the psychedelic "Tv Pro" (Beatles) and the chorus clearly attributable to Nirvana; as well as for other songs on the album: the verse of "Ride" and "She's Got Something To Say" reveals the melody and rhythm of English pop while the choruses shift towards dirtier, distorted rock but still tied to the melody of the fab four.
Also noteworthy are the R.E.M.-like "Rainfall" and the moving title track. Sure, after listening to songs like "Winning Days" or "Autumn Shade 2", it's hard to believe that the same "quiet" band managed to produce songs on the brink of madness like "Fuck The World"...
It's been over a year since that night, and now don't be mad at me, but I have to say it: thank you "brand new".