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THE VINES Vision Valley (EMI) |
 TAKING a back-to-basics approach is one thing, but Vision Valley sounds like it was recorded in a garage, which naturally lends itself to an outpouring of the usual cliches. Is it raw? Check. Is it unpolished and ballsy? Check. Is it an antidote to hordes of gleaming, overproduced outfits masquerading as musicians? Not quite, for its antiseptic qualities are more along the lines of mouthwash. Don't Listen to the Radio is pure bubblegum, but it's so insidiously catchy that you find yourself listening to it over and over while reminding yourself that you shouldn't really be liking this. By the time that epiphany occurs, however, you're probably caught up in a barrage of two-minute romper-stomper tunes that are scattered all over the album, wasting nary a chord and leaving scant room to breathe. By the time things slow down a little on closers like Dope Train and Spaceship, the Vines have made their point. Vision Valley is short and sharp and focused, and while it might not be a return to the form that made them critics' darlings, it's a step back on the right track. |
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