Aside from the immortal and famous AC/DC, most Australian bands get a very bad rap from people outside the country. This may be xenophobic in a way, but even so, the land down under has had quite a few notable acts over the years, such as Midnight Oil and INXS. Another famous act in Australia is the Alternative Rock band The Vines. Often compared to previous Grunge Music acts such as Nirvana, The Vines released their debut album way back in 2002 and it was a critical and commercial success. This is quite odd, considering that Grunge was not really a thing after Kurt Cobain’s suicide back in 1994. The album was recorded at The Sound Factory in Hollywood, California, and was produced by Rob Schnapf. The album also had a number of different personnel, especially in relation to drummers but centred around Craig Nicholls their singer/songwriter. It was released on EMI/Capitol on 14 July 2002. This is an album that is an important listen for history’s sake, so let’s take a listen and we shall hear how this sounds.

1. Highly Evolved launches right into it, with some palm-muted guitars and some slacker/stoner-styled vocals. This quickly enters into a decent and dirty-sounding Grunge Music piece. This is very catchy and sounds exactly like the sort of music that the Alternative Rock scene needed. A fantastic guitar solo is present here, and this is a very awesome and manic-sounding tune. Extremely cool to hear. It finishes after less than two minutes.

2. Autumn Shade begins with some strummed acoustic guitars, electric piano and calm and clear singing that sounds really sweet. Again, this is a good listen, especially if you are a fan of Rock-based music with a twist to it all. The music present is much better than expected, sounding quite original. Towards the middle are some wordless harmonies and guitars to melt your mind. This is very interesting music to listen to. The album so far is genuine proof that Alternative Rock needs to be heard more often by the public. It quickly finishes up with a fantastic Psychedelic Rock guitar outro to conclude, before segueing into the next tune.

3. Outtathaway begins with some weird and Grungy guitars, quickly launching into an upbeat and superb piece of music with some screamed and hoarse-sounding vocals. Soon enough, this enters into a fantastic stop/start and quiet/loud piece of music that is really sweet and cool. This three-minute-long number sounds absolutely awesome and will have you headbanging along with it while listening. The guitar sounds and playing especially from the midsection onwards are both really great. In the second half is a fantastic build-up of Noise Rock. This is followed by chugging guitars and a bunch of awesome screams, continuing all the way through to the end. Nice work.

4. Sunshinin begins with some crunchy-sounding guitars, and hi-hat based drumming and quickly launches into a great Alternative Rock tune that needs some more love from listeners out there. The array of guitars and sonic based sounds on these tracks are really great. Craig Nicholls sings like a Rock God on this song, and his voice is deep, melodic and excellent throughout. Some screams are present in the midsection, just as this music gets into the solo section. This does sound somewhat discordant, but regardless, is something worthwhile listening to. It eventually begins to wrap up under the three-minute length with a lengthy fade out. Awesome.

5. Homesick begins with some Beatlesque piano which is melodic, alongside some pleasant vocals from Craig Nicholls. Eventually, strummed acoustic guitars enter and this gorgeous tune gets rolling along nicely. A really sweet and relaxing listen, and it sounds like a good tune to listen to at home to mellow out. A really good tune to listen to, this music sounds extraordinarily good. Towards the midsection are some chiming electric guitars to match the smooth and multitracked vocals that also sound great. Nonetheless, The Vines do deserve to be heard by more listeners out there and this tune propels itself into the stratosphere. In the second half is a nicely and melodic guitar solo that sounds extremely cool. Very nice to hear. This song manages also to retain its interest throughout its nearly five-minute long length. There is a progression back to the start of the song in the second half, which is an instrumental section. The Vines certainly could work some good music magic here. All in all, a really great and exploration listen. It just sounds nice and different. There are Psychedelic backwards guitars in the fade-out as well.

6. Get Free is The Vines’s biggest hit song to date. It begins with some loud and discordant Black Sabbath/Grunge-styled guitars and enters into a really superb and punchy listen that has some really cool sounds throughout. The chorus is instantly memorable and very, very cool. If you need some Alternative Rock from Australia that isn’t Silverchair, this is the best song to begin with. The vocals are absolutely amazing, and The Vines are in fine form in this song. Extremely catchy and perfect music to blast at your conservative parents, this is a winner. Worth every moment of listening. Two minutes of glory.

7. Country Yard begins with some pleasant and sweet vocals over some clean guitar playing. This sounds absolutely magical throughout, and The Vines do very well to impress the listener. A laidback, smooth and pseudo-Psychedelic Rock piece, this has a very sweet and soothing set of music and instrumentation throughout. The quiet/loud dynamics are ditched on this song, making for an excellent and sweet music ballad. This sounds really awesomely brilliant, and Craig Nicholls sounds like a genuinely great Rock singer. This is great guitar-based music, with a difference. A really awesome and powerfully sweet tune to listen to. The harmonies on this album and song are absolutely fantastic to listen to. It builds up in intensity towards the end, and the whole tune sounds incredibly mellow. It eventually ends with some sweet acoustic guitar playing after the band finishes. Nice.

8. Factory begins with choppy drum rolls and enters into a weird Reggae tune. Honestly, why? This is not a really good idea for a band such as The Vines to cover. It’s quite laughable to listen to, to be honest. The chorus is better with some distorted and discordant guitars, but this sounds way too much like Ska Punk to be properly appreciated. This is The Vines, not The Specials or anyone like that. Therefore, you can go ahead and skip this junk. It’s just not necessary to listen to this and is a bit of a musical parody. The guitar solo is melodic yet weird. This is simply not good enough for The Vines to do. Grunge and Reggae are like oil and water, and this song is proof that is the case. Weird and strange to listen to. It slows right down to finish up.

9. In The Jungle begins with some straightforward guitar riffs, and drums and enters into a much better song than before. This is not Welcome To The Jungle by Guns N’ Roses. Instead, it is a glorious and powerfully interesting listening experience. Soon into it, it changes structure completely and introduces some 1960s-styled organ and slower guitars, before going into the chorus. The screamed vocals present are really fantastic and super cool. The Vines did have some good musical sensibility in them. Handclaps and wild guitar solos enter, just before the midsection. This song is a good example of the Alternative Rock scene in Australian postmodern times. More guitar solos are present in the second half, which sounds interesting. It quickly returns to the main guitar riffs and music, before alternating slow/fast sections propel this along. This song is a little lengthy, but it’s better than the track before it by far. A good and interesting listen from start to finish with many twists and turns to hear.

10. Mary Jane is likely an ode to Marijuana. This begins with some watery-sounding guitars, quickly leading into a straightforward but pleasant listen. Eventually, singing and acoustic guitars enter and this tune gets underway very nicely. This tune is less lyrical and has more simple melodies instead to hear. Even so, this stoner anthem does make one think of Queens Of The Stone Age somewhat. Admittedly, this is a bit slow and lengthy a tune. It’s not at all bad, but it is difficult to sit through due to its slow tempo. The chorus kicks in near the midsection with the song title being repeated over and over again. This is difficult to listen to and enjoy due to the fact it takes some effort to get through when sober. Presumably, this would sound great to hear when high though. In any case, this music is a really lively and powerful listen that has some promise to it. The second half has the chorus return and guitars that sound quite melodic and nice. It finishes up the chorus with guitar swells that sound good, which continue on until acoustic guitars enter. This is decent but fairly lengthy. Still, you can sit through this, if you have some patience. Not bad for a song seemingly devoted to weed, but could be better.

11. Ain’t No Room is a shorter song with a count-in and enters into an awful-sounding intro that will make you cringe. Vocals enter, and this tune gets going. This is ill thought out and you can easily skip this rather lacklustre and poor effort. This sounds like the worst of Blur’s music off their own self-titled album, to be frank. There is little point or purpose in listening to this junk track. In any case, this awful and bad song is poorly executed and if it were reworked, it would sound a lot better. Disappointing drivel that does not need to be heard. It seems towards the end of the album that quality control was wearing out in The Vines’s music. Just terrible, the outro is seriously bad.

12. 1969 is the final track on this album and goes on for over six minutes in length. It begins with some punchy drum rolls and super heavy guitars, which sound great. Singing emerges which sounds pleasant and gloriously smooth by Craig Nicholls. Soon enough, the loud distorted guitars that follow sound really fantastic to hear. The music at hand is extremely good to hear compared to the tracks before it. This sounds like Grunge Music for those who want to hear something other than Silverchair or other artists that made Grunge so special in the first place. Nonetheless, this song works as a real treat. Towards the middle are some excellent electric guitar riffs and screamed vocals, with some neat electronic editing. It speeds up towards the middle gradually, reaching manic proportions and sounding like the music equivalent of full-blown psychosis. It all falls apart in the midsection, followed by bass guitar and multitracked vocals, before returning to the main section of the song. Very, very cool to listen to. This track sounds very consistent, even if this music style has been done to death by the release of this album. The song section returns, followed by more manic screams and continues into the instrumental section as this tune crawls towards the end. In any case, this sounds marvellously awesome to hear. This continues on with some good guitar playing, both electric and acoustic, with awesome harmonies over the top. A good way to finish a fairly good album.

This album is mostly good to listen to. However, having said that the music isn’t very consistent or groundbreaking to listen to. Aside from the hit single Get Free, there is very little that hasn’t been done before or better than this album. Sadly, this is a very good listen but just not something you would want to hear regularly. Should you listen to this album? Only if you are a huge Grunge/Alternative Rock fan, otherwise you’d be best off giving this a miss.

Good but fairly inconsistent.

6/10