Search - Vines :: Vision Valley

Nearly doomed by frontman Craig Nicholls's erratic behavior--which resulted in a penchant for engaging in onstage violence with his band mates, coping with a debilitating McDonald's addiction, and generally acting like a doped-up donkey (later diagnosed, according to the band's label, as a rare form of mental illness called Asperger's Syndrome)--the Vines are seemingly back on track with their third album. Having shaken the "Australian Strokes" tag, the group is free to fully indulge its Nirvana/Beatles amalgam, moving from compact, rocket-fueled garage rockers like "Gross Out" and the self-defeating "Don't Listen to the Radio," to more relaxed fare, such as the Bowie-esque closer, "Spaceship." But for all the ups and downs, there's still something contrived about them (maybe it has to do with idiotic jingles like "Futuretarded"), making Vision Valley a nice place to visit but hardly somewhere you would want to dwell. --Aidin Vaziri