Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated? We bet The Vines’ main songwriter Craig Nicholls has. Six years ago, his band were as in demand as a Britney Spears sex tape and he milked that cash cow for all its worth, aping Kurt Cobain at every opportunity. Fast forward to 2008 and the Australians have now churned out their fourth studio album and anyone expecting anything close to Highly Evolved will be disappointed as it’s a turgid, uninspired, messy affair.
Part of what makes Melodia a terrible record is that it sounds so half-arsed. A mere two songs last longer than 150 seconds and the Rob Schnapf production is virtually non-existent. It’s not all bad though. In between the lumpy riffola (‘Jimola, ‘Get Out’) there are flashes of raw beauty (‘True As The Night’) but it’s not enough to save the record as a whole. At its essence, ,Melodiasounds like a sub-standard garage band battling with their own limitations and the truth is that The Vines died and rotted years ago and these days are only going through the motions. It’s time for these emperors’s to find some new clothes.