Winning Days

The Vines’ "Winning Days" -- the follow-up to the Australian quartet’s 2002 hit debut "Highly Evolved" -- finds the group back with producer Rob Schnapf (Beck, Guided by Voices, Elliott Smith), revealing a more melodically textured set of songs that retain all of the band’s infamously primal edge. The positive title of "Winning Days" is perhaps the first clue that the album is taking a slightly warmer approach than its gritty predecessor. The instruments sound like they did in Bearsville -- electric guitars coming straight through old valve amps onto tape, drum heads audibly put through their paces, acoustic guitars pushed to the front, and Nicholls’ layered harmonies reaching heights previously only been hinted at. While the band has maintained their ability to create incredibly primal rock n’ roll -- like the unbridled guitar fireworks of lead single “Ride” and the dark and alluring “Animal Machine” –- "Winning Days" sees The Vines orbiting more musical planets than ever before. Upbeat folk songs like “Rainfall” and “Sunchild” sit alongside the way-out psychedelia of “TV Pro” and pretty acoustic balladry of “Autumn Shade 2” and “Amnesia.” It’s the sound of a band venturing far beyond the promise of their first album into a realm of greatness that is uniquely their own. Enhanced CD includes the video for "Ride."