October 30, 2001

The Vines : Factory

This is dumb, short and fun - and twentysomething kicks are so hard to beat...

Difficult to imagine this now, maybe, but once not all Garage came from the UK. Already building a reputation as 'The Australian Strokes' (this doesn't mean that they're a Strokes tribute band, just that they're a good band like The Strokes and they come from Australia). The Vines are mysteriously resident in Los Angeles and are quickly making inroads into the art of the spikily-crafted song.

And yes, this is garage, though of the very oldest school. Like the American 60s guitar groups who reworked the tunes of the 'British Invasion' bands in their own brilliantly incompetent and inspired way, The Vines are doing a similar thing. On the three tracks here ('Factory', 'Drown The Baptists' and, best of all 'Ain't No Room') The Vines are breathing new life into classic stuff and are on the way to making classics themselves. And it sounds like it was recorded by someone who has a day job in a garage, too.

But no matter. This is dumb, short and fun - and twentysomething kicks are so hard to beat.

John Robinson

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