Melodia

We Say...

Review by Kyle Anderson

Just as every rock movement needs its Pearl Jam (to act as crossover populists) and its Nirvana (to be experimental and tragic), so too does it need its Stone Temple Pilots (to shoulder all the shit for the bigger acts). In the great rock reinvention of the early 21st century that saw the breakout of the Strokes and White Stripes, a quartet from Australia with a quirky, manic frontman scored a hit with a screeching post-punk track called "Get Free" and were immediately dismissed as the first great wannabes of the new generation. Never mind that most of the Vines' debut Highly Evolved was made up of trippy Britpop dirges and wasn't nearly as horrible as everybody remembers — frontman Craig Nicholls was immediately immortalized as the new Gavin Rossdale.

But that was 2001. In the ensuing eight years, Nicholls became more famous for alienating band members, kicking photographers and going through treatment for Asperger Syndrome than for having a rock band that released two perfectly acceptable nu-garage records in 2004's Winning Days and 2006's Vision Valley. Now free from a major label, the Vines' Melodia reverts back to the balance struck on their debut: psych-infused space rock with a bit of buzzsaw hardcore thrown in for good measure. When it hits, it hits hard, as on the punchy drop-D throwback "Get Out" and the jackhammering "Scream." Not all of the ballads on Melodia work, though "She Is Gone" is a deeply affecting strum-and-cry. "Manger" has a Zeppelin-biting verse that dives out of the way for the sake of a soaring chorus that channels Parklife-era Blur. In fact, Nicholls and Damon Albarn have a lot in common: the lazy snarl, the toxic perspective and an interest in slamming genres together.

That's not to say all of Nicholls aping works out for him, as single "He's a Rocker" is something the Von Bondies would dismiss as too crass. But just as Stone Temple Pilots accidentally made one of the best albums of the grunge era (Purple), Nicholls gives the Vines the potential to unleash greatness some day. Melodia is not that record, but it's a good start.