The Vines
Highly Evolved
EMI
The Vines are what MuchMusic folk dream of. Their debut album is drawing comparisons to the Strokes and Nirvana, among others, and they’re cute as bugs in a grubby, indie, video-friendly way. Plus, their songs (especially the snarly title track) stick in your head without making you want to remove them with a pair of pliers. As befits a first effort, Highly Evolved is all over the place. There’s Blur-esque bounce (“Factory”), sad stoner lullabies (“Mary Jane,” “Autumn Shade”) and the triumphantly angsty “1969.” Unremarkable, maybe, but even at its worst, the album never moves below agreeably forgettable. It’ll sell millions. –Corrine Bredin
Sonic Youth
Murray Street
Geffen
Along with the downtown garage-punk and complex noise-rock epics you expect from Sonic Youth, Murray Street also has some of the band’s cleanest and most straightforward songs in years, with some fresh, crisp guitar lines, hummable melodies and even a catchy chorus or two. The first three songs (“The Empty Page,” “Disconnection Notice,” and “Rain On Tin”) easily rank with Sonic Youth’s highlights. Melancholic, tuneful but unorthodox, all are enriched by cascades of intricate three-guitar noise. And the seven-song length is a nice change from previous releases—long enough to become entranced by the music and short enough not to get bored with it. –Vanessa Fischer
