Back from the brink of a long-promised implosion, the Vines sound like a band renewed on their first album since being booted from Capitol following dismal sales of 2006's muddled "Vision Valley."
For an album called Melodia written by a self-confessed Beatles fanatic who once penned the gorgeous ‘Homesick’ and ‘Winning Days’, actual melodies are rare and most, like ‘Hey’ or the turgid ‘She Is Gone’, sound embryonic at best.
This fourth offering crams 14 tracks into half an hour and sounds like a sketchbook of ideas rather than a fully formed expression of any kind. [Nov 2008, p.128]
Forget the critics, the real vines fans know this is great and on par with their other albums including Highly Evolved which the UK press seemForget the critics, the real vines fans know this is great and on par with their other albums including Highly Evolved which the UK press seem to forget is not supposed to be the blueprint for every future Vines album.…Expand
I don't understand peoples negative remarks. Craig Nicholls songwriting ability is far above many bigger bands. He can craft a wonderful I don't understand peoples negative remarks. Craig Nicholls songwriting ability is far above many bigger bands. He can craft a wonderful melody over the softest or heaviest song. People get too hung up on reviewing with the attitude of what everyone else thinks. The Vines have made yet another good album that has sadly been forgotten about.…Expand
This is a highly enjoyable album, that sadly is viewed as weak by many who never appreciated the Vines in the first place. If you love the This is a highly enjoyable album, that sadly is viewed as weak by many who never appreciated the Vines in the first place. If you love the sound the Vines make, which is at times enchanting and doesn't sound much like anything else, then you'll like this album a lot. I love it.…Collapse
The album has a couple of song-shaped holes as the writing isn't always great. Merrygoround, for instance, felt like a knock-off of theThe album has a couple of song-shaped holes as the writing isn't always great. Merrygoround, for instance, felt like a knock-off of the Beatles' Helter Skelter and I couldn't help but cringe listening to Kara Jayne. Still, Melodia gives you a sweet sense of nostalgia for the bands of the '90s and early '00s, like Supergrass and Jet, as well as their own earlier work.
Its sound is typically Vines-like, with the changes of pace in the songs, the fuzzy guitars, catchy guitar melodies, and ballad breaks.
Favourite tracks: She is Gone, Orange Amber, A.S III, Get Out, True As The Night
Least favourite tracks: Kara Jayne, Merrygoround…Expand
Like the previous album, Melodia offers the same standard tracks (no tracks are longer than 3 min and only one song is over 6 min). Still,Like the previous album, Melodia offers the same standard tracks (no tracks are longer than 3 min and only one song is over 6 min). Still, every track give possess a great melody. Fans of the Vines would definetly love this album because of the same elements from previous albums and new people could also enjoy this album but not as much and just as enough critics would have predicted…Expand
I honestly don't understand what happens at the Vines camp sometimes. Melodia could've been a huge comeback for the album if it weren't forI honestly don't understand what happens at the Vines camp sometimes. Melodia could've been a huge comeback for the album if it weren't for the odd placement of tracks and budget-sounding over production. A common hardship the band stumbles on repeatedly is their placement of tracks. Even on their peak debut, Highly Evolved, the flow is always off. On one hand we go from the short instrumental "Jamola" to the absolutely stunning "True As The Night" then to the angry In Utero sounding "Braindead" then to an cheesy love song about a girl named "Kara Jayne". Do you see what I'm saying? Maybe it's a way to try to get the listener to see how the band plays with their two most notable styles (60's ballads and 90's grunge) but to me, it makes the album so much harder to listen to. And can we talk about Kara Jayne real quick? I mean, this has to be probably the worst Vines song I've heard, and that's a lot coming from the same band that made "Futuretarded". At least in that song it brings some new stylistic changes and has a good hook. Going back to the production, it all just sounds very cheap. Not bad, but over-produced to the point where it sounds almost fake. I don't really know if that makes to much sense but when you give the record a listen, you'll see what i mean. That's not to say the album is all bad however. The tracks "Braindead" and "MerryGoRound" all strike me as masterpieces. And I think the track "A Girl I Knew" get looked over despite being one of the best tracks here. The lead singles "Get Out" and "He's A Rocker" aren't bad either, just very predicable. This same predictableness is followed throughout the album. And all of these songs would be song much better if they were just a little longer. Some are fitting, but is it really all that hard to make a song longer than 3 minutes? Maybe it's because Craig Nicholls' attention span can't go for any longer! And this is coming from a genuine Vines fan. I've been obsessed with the band since I heard "Get Free" on a top 10 list on YouTube. What saddens me most with this record is that it could've had so much potential. The B-Sides and demos for songs that didn't make the cut are so much more interesting than the tunes that did. I'm guessing the band was trying to write as many radio-friendly hits as possible? I think even Craig Nicholls himself admitted this in an interview with Channel V. In hindsight, this record really started the fall for the group. While the singles did get the band back on the the scene, it only worsen Nicholls' mental health to the point where he released the fifth album "Future Primitive". I don't think Vines fans want to talk about that album. However, not all is bad. After taking a long needed break Craig delivers "Wicked Nature" and "In Miracle Land" which are both solid albums.
FAVORITE TRACKS: Merrygoround, A Girl I Knew, Braindead, Get Out, True As The Night, She Is Gone
