The Vines Winning Days

Interview, March, 2004 by Milena Selkirk

(Capitol)

With the success of the Vines' debut, Highly Evolved (2002), the Australian quartet's front man, Craig Nicholls, garnered more notoriety for his public tantrums than for his innovative songwriting. This schizophrenic follow-up should do nothing but add to the mental intrigue. Winning Days sounds, in fact, as if it were made by two bands. The slower songs, like "TV Pro" and "Autumn Shade," shine with delectable minor harmonies and a sunny, summer ambiance (complete with chirping cicadas and wind chimes), but the rowdy rockers--"Ride," "Evil Town"--heavy with distorted choruses, whining, and garbled words, rattle like manic-depressive Nirvana knockoffs.