Highly Evolved

Despite its title, there’s nothing highly evolved about the Vines’ much-hyped debut album. Their influences are so obvious, the young Aussies; might as well yell them out before each song. The combination of raw, dirty guitar power chords, primitive, powerful drumming and Craig Nicholls’ throaty growl on “Outtathaway” and “In the Jungle” cries “Nirvana!” to anyone who’s listening. Similarly, lush, mid-tempo ballads like “Homesick” and “Mary Jane” scream “Oasis,” and the reggae-juiced blue-collar ode “Factory” is a hearty shout-out to the Clash. The Vines clearly lack subtlety, but their musical mimicry appears not to be the result of a dearth of ideas but rather an overabundance of enthusiasm. Improbably, they manage to stamp many of these tunes with an energy that’s clearly their own, proving that youthful bluster is sometimes enough to make even the most unrefined songs sing.