The Vines

Vision Valley

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More About

• The Vines (Musical Group)
• The Donnas
• Michael Jackson
• Craig Nicholls
• Teenage Fanclub

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From Nirvana to The Donnas in just three moves! Those of you who only remember the post-grunge urgings of "Get Free" but let The Vines suffer the slings of sophomore slump alone might be surprised to find the abundance of tambourines, handclaps and songs under two minutes (seven out of 12). Those would be the rockers, most of which are immediately accessible but seem calculated after repeated listenings, like Enuff Z'Nuff vying to be the next Jet. Only Vision Valley's three ballads point to bold new directions for the band. Forget the "Australian Strokes" tag -- these guys could be the Down Under Teenage Fanclub if they really put their minds to it. Fans of Highly Evolved will just be grateful for front man Craig Nicholls hanging in there after being diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, not to mention any decent Vines album after the lackluster Winning Days, the most wildly misnamed album since Michael Jackson's Invincible. However, marginally interested people who feel shortchanged paying an $18.98 list price for a sitcom-length album should just wait for a used copy. In moviegoers' terms, it's a renter, but a feel-good one.