Okay, so critics opinions shouldn't matter, right? That said, positive press reviews never hurt a band and for the Vines can only help. Full reviews for most of these sources are set to hit newsstands next week, but check out the 4-star 'Guardian' review and these pull-quotes from other UK press sources...


The Vines, Vision Valley
4 stars (Heavenly)
Caroline Sullivan
Friday March 31, 2006
The Guardian

Focused, coherent, connected - not words you'd have expected to apply to the Vines' comeback album, which arrives 18 months after singer Craig Nicholls' Asperger syndrome diagnosis.

The press release makes such lurid play of his condition ("deranged yelps", "wailing wreck") that it seems miraculous he even persisted in writing songs, let alone was able to turn them into possibly the best 31 garage-rock minutes you'll hear this year.

This (rather than their mediocre second album) should be taken as the follow-up to their hyped-to-the-heavens 2002 debut, because with Vision Valley the Vines fulfil the promise they showed as the former "Australian Strokes".

Nicholls is detached and dreamy when the occasion demands it (Take Me Back and Going Gone exemplify the group's soft, harmony-drenched side), excitingly arrogant and Iggy Poppish when it doesn't.

The retro-rocking Anysound may kick off with Nicholls declaring, "I am a Vine, all twisted and frayed," but on this album, he doesn't sound in need of sympathy.

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/st...1742847,00.html


Pull-quotes from UK press:

"Possibly the best 31 garage-rock minutes you'll hear this year" - The Guardian 4/5

"Nicholls has regained his muse in spectacular form" - Q ****

"Arguably their best album yet. Let the comeback begin..." - NME

"Surpasses anything they've recorded to date" NME

"Return to the kind of form that saw them compared to Nirvana." - Big Issue

"A triumphant new album" - The Observer

"They’re back with their best, boldest album to date. - The Fly 4/5


NME like it?

I'm so happy for our boys!!

Also, please remember to put all official press reviews in Proper Reviews thread in the 'Vision Valley' section.

Oh this is the best news!!! I was worried about the critics after WD - cause that was a damn fine album, yet they trashed it. Argh! I'm so relieved!

you never know how the british press is going to go with something - but those pull-quotes cover just about every major UK magazine/newspaper (*thanks to EMI, who i'm sure was more than happy to send them along ). positive word-of-mouth by way of fans is a great great thing, but the critics agreeing it's a 'return to form' or saying it 'surpasses HE' adds a measure of respect the band seemed to lose with WD.

craig may not read his own press, but something tells me his camp will share this news with him.

that's so great!! finally some critics with taste!

I really hope someone shows this to the band!!! REALLY hope!

OMG NME LIKE IT? THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER.

I don't give a fuck about NME but they ARE really important to many people. So I was hoping they would dig the album. Ah, this is FAB.

Better than Winning Days?

Invalid review.

Yeah, but the press slaughtered Winning Days anyway.

Personally critical acclaim doesn't matter to me but it does to alot of people so I'm glad VV is getting good reviews

I absolutely have never understood why the press have beat up winning days so much. Well either that or made it out to be typical and average. I think it's a fantastic album. I might like it a smidge more than Highly Evolved.

VV has been album of the week on JJJ radio in Oz. Listeners can post reviews on the website, and so far all of them have been positive. Actually positive is an understatment, they have been dead set raving about it.

^ that is so good to hear!!




i'm there with ya on that, maddie. it's all about personal perference, and if critics legitimately didn't like it, fine, but it appeared they went out of their way to beat up on it - in part, because some writers just didn't like craig.

strong press reviews for VV is also a good thing because a lot of poople assumed the vines were no more - they aren't aware the vines are still a band! well, they are and apparently they've just put out the best album of their career.

The Evening Standard
The Vines
Vision Valley
(EMI/Heavenly)
Review: Pete Clark
****

Among the least likely occurrences on planet pop was a third LP from The Vines. Leader Craig Nicholls disappeared into a paranoid void and it was widely assumed he would never be seen again. Thus Vision Valley must count as something as a blessing merely for existing, and almost makes it to the status of miracle for being so good.

The album was recorded quickly, which means that chunky riffers like Anysound and Fuk Yeh are free of obstructive production details, while Nothin's Comin' is pure punk nihilism. While most tracks come in at around two minutes and the supercharged Slade effect of Gross Out lasts just one, the closing Spaceship is an epic cosmic wig-out that takes it to the full six minutes.

I gave them a little plug on Hi-Fi Popcorn! There may also be other bands you like there. :D

FIVE STARZ FROM ME!

That is really good to here. I always enjoy good reviews from critics even though it really doesn't matter I like them anyway. I find it most important Nme like the album since they are a big magazine in the UK if thats right? I enjoy reading the reviews so keep them coming. Thanks Wonk.

Thats awesome!

I'm so glad about this! it's fantastic for the boys!

That rocks! I'm so happy for them!

But um....when can we expect some positive feedback like that from the old US of A?

there's no telling. the U.S. reviews that will matter most are those in Rolling Stone, SPIN and Blender - maybe USA Today - because they reach the largest audience.

Vision Valley is the album of the day on BBC 6 music in the UK.

It needs to be the album for more then just one day.

Co0o0o0l!!!! The Vines forever Live!!!!!


The guys are the best!!!!

its good hear that!!!!

i so glad about the good reviews they are getting, i was really hopeing for that... thanks alot for that news.

they was a review for VV in a sanity mag, it was pretty good.

do you think we will find out how many albums VV has sold in like a month? im really curious

Probably not many. Hopefully at least 100,000 in 1 month worldwide.

yeah i gess, but the more the merryer.