It's really not surprising that the Vines would name their second album 'Winning Days'. After the release of 'Highly Evolved', the Vines really looked like they were gonna go MASSIVE. They were receiving rave reviews, their album was selling like wildfire (one of the biggest rock sellers of the decade up to that point), and their frontman, the psychedelic whirlwind that was Craig Nicholls, was quickly being regarded as a bona fide rockstar. This success gave the Vines the feeling that they were free to express themselves, to experiment a bit and hope for the best.
'Highly Evolved' was a troubled recording, with Nicholls and bassist Patrick Matthews being the only regulars. And from the off, 'Winning Days' bristles with the enthusiasm of a band just having fun together. Their two newer members, drummer Hamish Rosser and Ryan Griffiths, really show some chops here along with veteran bassist Matthews, whose role is more pronounced than on Highly Evolved. With he core of the band now stable, and with a sound that defies classification, all the Vines need to make their album a real winner. And, while the album doesn't share the same erratic mood swings of Highly Evolved nor all of its restless creative spark, the album delivers way more than it's fare share of good tunes.
Lead-single 'Ride', the most well known of Vines songs as well as among the most well-loved, should've been ubiquitous. It's machine-gun post-grunge riff, Hello Kitty handclaps and napalm chorus make it an instant-standout. The song goes places too- after a rage filled chorus, it takes a wonderfully dissonant post-chorus detour. At the other end of the spectrum is 'Sun Child', and incredibly passive slice of country that eventually mutates into a vegetarian Oasis mould. Longtime fans should recognize the song as a B-Side to 'Highly Evolved'. But, as those fans will notice, it's a much improved version.
These deviations into country (the sublime highlight of the title track, 'Autumn Shade II'), and the less than successful explorations of Bleach-era Nirvana sludge (the passable 'Animal Machine', the caterwauling '*** the World' and the abysmal 'Evil Town') are tempered with more mature songwriting, layers of harmonies and juddering, paranoid crescendos. Both the Beach Boys and undervalued UK exports ‘Supergrass’ are evoked in the breezy 'Rainfall', 'She's Got Something to Say to Me' and the aforementioned Rubber Soul styled folk-rock of 'Winning Days'. Producer Rob Schnepf, who highlights Craig Nicholls remarkable vocals, also brings in a bit of Elliot Smith styled lyricism. The Stooges influenced stoner trips of the debut also return on the jerky tempos and Incredible-Hulk indebted moods wings of 'TV Pro', which has Craig making up new words for the dictionary on a whim.
While the band's mind-bending off-stage antics, groupie mayhem and on-stage 'showmanship' would catch up with them on the 'Winning Days' tour and permanently stunt their rise to superstardom, the record itself remains a remarkably unique if occasionally awkward piece of music that would have a lasting effect on the band's direction in the future.
Download: Ride, Winning Days, She's Got Something to Say to Me
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By Max2x2
