Vines wish for more 'Winning Days'

By Nate Seltenrich

"Winning Days" is a loser of a follow-up to the Vines' critically acclaimed 2002 debut, "Highly Evolved." A sterile collection of largely forgettable songs, the album is a case-in-point example of what can and often does happen to bands whose first albums catapult them to superstardom on the strength of a few hit singles.

"Ride," the first track and first single off "Winning Days," contains one of the most irritating choruses I've ever heard ("Ride with me, ride with me, ride with me," bla bla bla). Lead singer Craig Nicholls' Australian accent makes "ride" sound a lot like "rock," which is an even lamer thing to be shouting about at the beginning of a rock album.

From there, things don't get much better. The next song, "Animal Machine," is a spookily accurate Nirvana resurrection by a band that started out doing Nirvana covers. That's cool enough, but seriously, Nirvana's been gone for over a decade. Try writing something new.

Track three, "TV Pro," introduces some trippy, psychedelic rock into the mix. Its fast/slow tempo shifts, breathy vocals, flailing guitars and diverse instrumentation make it the most engaging song on the album.

As for the rest of "Winning Days," when it's not annoying, it's boring. Even for Vines fans, this record is hardly worth buying. Let the band reassess their direction, spend some more time on the road, and hopefully make a thoughtful, creative third effort. If that doesn't happen, write their debut off as a fluke. If it does, you can congratulate yourself on your patience and spend those 15 bucks the right way.

Grade: C

û Contact Nate Seltenrich at (408) 554-4546 or nseltenrich@scu.edu.