Review of âhighly Evolved -The Vinesâ
Review of âhighly Evolved -The Vinesâ
While they may be tangled in controversy, thereâs nothing primitive about The Vinesâ debut album âHighly Evolvedâ. There are many instances throughout the album where resemblances of Nirvana, The Beatles and others can be heard, however there is truly a âVinesâ sound present. The Aussie rock band assembled when Craig Nicholls, David Oliffe and Patrick Matthews met each other while working in a local McDonalds. They all shared the same taste and passion for music so they formed a local band that played at parties and pubs. The name âThe Vinesâ originated from a band that Nichollsâ father was in titled âThe Vynesâ. Originally the band only performed covers of Nirvana songs until Nicholls decided to start writing a few of his own. After success in both Australia and in the UK, they released the exceedingly praised debut album, âHighly Evolvedâ.
After three tours and a second album release (âWinning Daysâ), the band was asked to perform at a âTriple Mâ radio promotion. However, just before their performance, Nicholls became frustrated and eventually yelled and insulted the crowd because they wouldnât stop talking, this leading to Matthews walking off stage. After this incident, âTriple Mâ refused to play any of The Vinesâ songs on their network. While the band broke up losing Matthews and Oliffe, it reformed rather fast with the entrance of Ryan Griffiths and Hamish Rosser. On November 19, 2004, Nicholls was diagnosed with Aspergerâs Syndrome (a mutated form of autism). This is believed to explain his outburst at the radio promotion.
The first song on the album (conveniently titled âHighly Evolvedâ) presents us with the first insight into The Vinesâ style of grunge-rock. The easy paced lyrics and reasonably simple tune, accompanied by the semi-heavy electric guitar, provides the perfect combination to introduce us to the album and band. The only downside to the short and sweet song would be that Nichollsâ