The Vines future is 'Melodia'
The Vines drummer Hamish Rosser discusses the new album & new label
Sep 15, 2008
...separating from Capitol Records and a highly publicized court battle which led enigmatic lead singer Craig Nicholls become an unlikely spokesperson for Asperger’s Syndrome
The move from Capitol Records to Ivy League
Things came to ahead when Capitol were to release a compilation of The Vines previous works; the dreaded ‘Best Of’ tag leading many to think this was indeed the end of Sydney’s finest. “We weren’t consulted at all” drummer Hamish Rosser chuckles. “I think it was funny that a ‘Best Of’ album came out the same year our new album was to be released. The artwork and song selection was cool but we had no consultation whatsoever and no press for it. It’s unfortunately part of the record deal – part of the fine print”
“It seemed redundant and they hurried it out before the new album was released. Guess they learned something from when Radiohead released ‘In Rainbows’ and wanted to beat us to the punch” he muses. “There’s no ill feeling towards Capitol, but working with Ivy League is much better for us really.”
Hometown record label advantage
Signing with Australian label Ivy League not only had it’s home field advantages, Rosser continues; “The communication is much better, which was the problem with Capitol – we’d try and contact them for weeks and never hear back from them and then they’d do crazy things…” he pauses, then once again going back to a case point “… such as ‘The Vines Greatest Hits’ mix songs from past experiences. Those are some of the bad reasons. On the flipside, however, they had much larger budget and ties to MTV and stuff. But we’re happy with Ivy League; they understand the band more than the majors.”
'Melodia' a shift in The Vines sound
‘Melodia’ contains the hallmark sounds associated with The Vines; the abrasive guitar tone, the harmonious vocals of Nicholls yet in some respects shifts away from 2006’s ‘Vision Valley’, crafting what many felt could have been everything ‘Winnings Days’ would have been. “This is the heaviest album we’ve done, so I’d agree there are heavy moments – there’s a harder edge than the first album where it was more garage-esque and not angry or distorted, with ‘Scream’ and ‘Get Out’ two prime examples” Rosser explains, attributing also the lyrical content Nicholls produces now as a fundamental change.
“I think Craig’s had more life experiences to draw from now; he lived at home and hadn’t been overseas until The Vines. He’s a different person now and the lyrics are more personal where previously they were abstract. This time around he drew on more personal experiences – girlfriends, feelings of isolation are some of the things.”
Grunge, Neo Psychadelia and comparisons to trend setters
There is of course, the similarities to other bands however – the most obvious of choices being Nirvana both is sound and in nature. Then there are the references to The Beatles during their psychadelia phases circa. ‘The Magical Mystery Tour’ and ‘The Beatles.’ “People can call us what they want. If I heard the band I’d hear the Nirvana comparisons too! It’s cool” Rosser admits, “We got those Beatles comments around the release of the first album and they’re completely unwarranted. We’re happy to be compared but it’s hard to hold a candle to them.”
'Braindead 08' world tour
With a forthcoming show at MTV’s Snow Jam event, taking place in Terrace Downs and the ‘Braindead 08’ world tour, it was interesting for the band, used to playing festivals and large venues, hitting much smaller spaces in preparation for the release of ‘Melodia’. “Actually, it was cool” Rosser contends, “We’ve not been to the state in four years since ‘Winning Days’ and played shortly after recording the album. We went to South By Southwest and played three gigs there then played the Bowery in New York and the Troubadour in Los Angeles. They’re clubs but not tiny fans, and the fans of the band were all stoked to see the band – and it reassured us. Really!”
“We’re always worried that we do too many shows overseas though” he adds. “I’m not sure how massively we’ll be touring – going onto festivals and high impact shows, an Australian tour in October, maybe… just maybe Big Day Out, you know just play good shows. We’re known for having ordinary show but for the big ones we step up” before a brief conversation about my first experience watching the band at Leeds Festival in the UK. “I remember that show…” he recounts with a fondness in his voice, “… we actually got live footage of our performance at Reading that year also!”
Sensible Days as opposed to "Winning Days"?
So with Craig a changed man, the Nirvana comparisons now petering out of their music and over half a decade gone since the filth and the fury of the debut album, are The Vines now a sensible band? “We’re not doing AOR!” Rosser jokes. “There’s still fire in the belly… still anger and rage for the stage
 |
