The expensive stodge of The Vines’ much-hyped debut didn’t bode well for a follow-up. Bits of Winning Days almost captivate: the elastic riffage of “Ride”, the star-struck interludes of “TV Pro” (which rupture into pedestrian guitar stomp and non-verbal wailing), most of the diaphanous “Autumn Shade”. You will search in vain for a simple, affecting song, however, and Craig Nicholls has an unappealing non-voice. It’s hard to fight the feeling this is average songwriting buffed into something near-palatable by the amount of money spent on it. At least Nicholls isn’t ripping off Nirvana quite as blatantly as he was first time around.
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