VINES- VEDI VICIOUS?: As I've written in the past, I'm as excited as anyone about the new "invasion" of neo-garage bands, and the possibility of their eventually eclipsing the scourge of Nu Metal in popularity. The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Hives, and Andrew WK all suffered quick, vicious backlashes after their initial splashes, although those came primarly from narcissistic New York rock snobs who are so cynical that they apparently aren't allowed to like any new music until after Joey Ramone has risen from the dead. I remain happy that all four of those acts have gotten the attention that they deserve, and I also hope that each of their next albums outsell those of Creed, Staind, and Tool by an exponential margin.
Now come The Vines, the Australian-via-LA band that has added a heavy Beatles influence to the Clash/Nirvana hybrid favored by the other groups. However, I'm sad to report, The Vines' new album, "Highly Evolved," just plain sucks. There's nothing special about it, nothing exciting, no urgency, nothing worse noticing about it except the kind of hype associated with Worldcom stock circa 1999. And unlike those critics who dismissed The Strokes before hearing a note based on a reflexive rejection of hype, I've heard the album, listened to it intently, turned it off, and put on Ben Kweller instead. Oh well, at least it only cost $6.99.