The Vines – Vision Valley / 2006 EMI / 13 Tracks / http://www.thevines.com / http://www.capitolrecords.com/thevines / Reviewed 26 April 2006

The shrill guitars that start off “Vision Valley” show that The Vines have not lost a step in the few years since their last album came out. The track links together disparate genres of rock, from the retro, seventies sound that is being pushed by some acts, to the smarter alt-rock of acts like Weezer. Add a little bit of alternative influence to songs like “Nothin’s Comin’” and The Vines have came up with a style of rock that works well pretty much in any situation.

The tracks are radio-friendly to the degree that they could conceivably dislodge the emo gridlock at places like KROCK and mTV, while still having something for those fans of acts like the Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains. What really seems to me to be the smartest decision taken by The Vines on “Vision Valley” has to be the length of the majority of songs; aside from “Spaceship”, the average song of a Vines track here is two minutes. The band takes some of the thunder away from acts like The White Stripes and Jet with songs like “Candy Daze”, which is fueled with the spirit of the sixties. This is the same case with the title track, but the overall sound of “Vision Valley” is not quite as much sixties influenced as it is a continuation of the style furthered by The Verve.

For a feel-good album, “Vision Valley” may just be the album to pick up this summer. The production value of songs like “Don’t Listen To The Radio” tie together the ability of studios in the current period while The Vines don their Foreigner hats for a few minutes. The band kicks their amps into overdrive with “Gross Out”, but really finesse their listeners much like a frat guy with a high school senior in the middle of the track. The band is all over the map with “Vision Valley”, but it does not seem as if The Vines are pulling for stripes with this album. The meandering nature of the disc is something that is strategically chosen by the band to incorporate the largest segment of the listening audience. The Vines have matured over the last few years, and this just might be the strongest effort we’ve heard yet from the band. While songs may not be at the same rocking intensity as songs like “Gross Out”, there is an intensity present throughout the disc that makes individuals have to pick this album up.

Top Tracks: Gross Out, Nothin’s Comin’

Rating: 6.7/10

[JMcQ]