The Vines Vs Grunge by: Alex Farrer

1994 would be a year we would never forget, and for many bands it would see the death of milestone in modern music, the unforgivable grunge era was dead. But from the ashes still burned the passion and the meaning to which many musicians are discovering once more. The Vines have most certainly taken this dying giant in their arms to drag it back through the wall of music to its rusty cage which it came.

The debut album by the Vines ‘Highly Evolved’, is about growing up in the 90s on a different side of the world. It is the album we always hoped Nirvana would inspire but nobody dared touch. The screeming outburst of frustration, passion has been restored by the deadly silence of a scared nation.

For all its abuse, the album shows no fault, with its Beatles like riffs and intoxicating feedback, it is a beautiful mix to which the ears whirl with every crash of its abrasive nature. Which is exactly what this album is about, the nature of music, the nature of its existance and the irony that it portrays. Four young guys from Australia determined to tear it up in the States, their end goal being the glorious egotrip of international rock stardom. Highly Evolved also slows down for some endearing pop, which was a classic sterotype of Nirvana, the angst would rarely be duplicated until now. To why this is we can only ask ourselves, the sad rejection of anything remotely original to the genre was ridiculed as an effort to rip off a once great music genre, and people tried to forget. But how can we leave something so golden to rot away so easily when we still love its golden glow? Its time to hold on tight as the roller coaster ride is about to begin.