🟥 This article is translated from French.

The Vines: Grand Cru 2004

With the "The" wave withdrawn, what remains of the neo-rockers? The Vines. The second album from the Australians directly places them on the parvis of the rock pantheon. Meeting the maddest man in the biz, Craig Nicholls.

Devastating riffs, reminiscences of grungy Seattle, Liverpudlian vocal harmonies, classified as a 1963 grand cru, with their new opus "Winning Days", the Australian band THE VINES have surpassed the buzz of "The" that appeared three years ago. Here they are now rockers in the noble sense of the term, led by an uncontrollable Craig Nicholls, capable of screaming to death while throwing his guitar into the drums, and following it up the next instant with a heartbreaking ballad. A genius finally understood?

Do you think Winning Days is better than Highly Evolved?

Yes, I think it's better. People will have their opinion, some will say it's much worse (laughs), but... We had more time to work on it. On Highly Evolved, it was the first time we went into the studio, worked with a producer... So we just played our songs. We didn't get the chance to really explore the musical universe we were creating. This time, we were able to make the songs what we had imagined, what we each had in our heads.

When were the songs on "Winning Days" composed?

Some were already finished while we were just finishing the first album. For the others, we created them during the tour, between hotels... So half of them could have been on Highly Evolved.

What is the meaning of the album title, "Winning Days"?

It comes from the song of the same name. It illustrates how words can have different meanings depending on the context. The album title seems to refer to something positive, like saying "It's our second album, everything's going well for us". Or you can see it as "Everything's going well for everyone, it's a good time for rock". But what I'm saying in the song is different: "The winning days are gone." It's an idea I have that everything is easier when you're younger and your brain can still absorb all the bullshit they feed you.

Do you compose because there's an album to record, or is it constant?

Oh no, we like writing songs. Of course, we want to make albums with them. But in that case we take the best of what we've done. It doesn't matter if there are things left over. We had a lot to choose from when we made Highly Evolved. For Winning Days too, actually. Songwriting is the core, the essence of the band.

How do you work together?

I write most of the songs, and with the rest of the band, we're old friends, so we don't have any problems. Our way of communicating is a kind of musical understanding, we have a common sense of melody, a freedom of creation. We try to be as open as possible to ideas, to focus on the arrangements, on the sound we get out of our instruments.

Can we say there are ballads between the rock songs or rock songs between the ballads?

It's true that the album seems to hit both extremes. For my part...I think it's balanced, half and half. But it's not a straight line between "calm" and "violent", there are songs that are in between, there are others that are on the fringes of this way of seeing things. Next to it.

But the singles chosen are punk, why not balance it then: a ballad, a rock track?

Because we want to give people what they want, and people, they want violence, if we refer to studies and research (laughs). No, actually, our next single will be "Winning Days", which is more acoustic. Let's say we're not really invested in the business side of all this, but enough so as not to write ten-minute songs. We'd still like to sell, to have a positive effect on people's minds. All this is a long and winding road (quoting The Beatles), probably a dead end on the Highway To Hell (quoting AC/DC). All this...is fucking shit (laughs).

What would Winning Days have been without Rob Schnapf, the producer?

He did a really good job, he's a good guy, he has good ideas. We really enjoyed working with him, it was fun to take the songs from the lowest level, from the beginning, to bring them to what they are now...He gave us good advice. He's a good guy...(changing his mind) For the next one I'd like us to go one place, not moving around too much...

Are you already thinking about the next one?

Yeah, that's what I end up doing in interviews, because by talking about the past, my brain starts to work...

To come back to the present, you said that the song "TV Pro" gave an idea of how you were going to sound in the future.

Yeah, I think the sound of that song is futuristic, with its overdubs, effects, tempo changes and weird arrangements. There aren't really any lyrics...Well, there are, but they keep changing. I said that because when we wrote it, we felt really good. It was the case for the whole album, but on that one in particular, it was a real pleasure putting those two things together, first that soft, weird stuff, then that very hard rock....

Will you use more overdubs in the future?

Yeah, I'd like that. Let's just say, frankly, I don't know anything about it, I'm more focused on guitar and singing, but I'd like to make music with a drum machine or samples, like in techno or hip hop.

Did you get a bit into the production side of the record?

Actually, half the time, I was trying to tell Rob what he should do, but he'd send me packing, tell me to shut up and sit in a corner (laughs). We'd already worked together on the first album, so I knew him...There were similarities in our recording techniques, like double-tracking the guitars, vocals... Actually, he double-tracks everything possible. Everything except bass and drums, actually.

Do you feel more at home in the studio or live?

In the studio. It's not that playing live isn't good. It's a great release, but for us it's the album that matters. It's different from a lot of bands...It's...maybe it's because the work in the studio isn't lost, there's a trace left behind...

They say The Vines are going to save rock 'n' roll. Do you feel like a savior?

I'm not sure I understand what they mean by that. I'm not sure rock 'n' roll needs to be saved either. You can find guitar bands all over the planet. It's the way magazines work. They make noise about a few bands while others pay for it and disappear into obscurity, even though they surely deserved better. We don't put pressure on ourselves with that, we just try to do our best. We don't dream of world domination, because there are other bands we like and respect that are not at the top of the charts. Those who are there, I don't feel close to them at all. It's not even a question of style: is it pure rock, hip hop... No, you have to ask yourself, why do you make music? For artistic satisfaction, or to have your photo taken on the street? For some people, it's the second one. (changing his mind) There are enemies, it's like in a comic book.

The Vines' USA tour, accompanied by another kangaroo group, Jet, is called the "Aussie Invasion". Is it important for you to promote your home country?

On one hand, yes, but at the same time, I don't feel that responsibility. Every time something happens to us, I wonder if we deserve it...

You don't think you deserve success?

Well...I don't want to be fake modest. Let's say it's different each time, depending on whether you're doing TV, radio, a CD, a single... It's really weird, people want success, glamorous rock stardom... We really don't want that. We want recognition, but through our music. My pleasure is listening to records and making them. For me the rest is a big circus.

What is the Supergrass and Beatles part of Winning Days?

Huuuge. They both have this idea of being rock, complex, and very simple at the same time. I think that's how good music should be; it shouldn't be sophisticated, but rather simple, with three chords.

Those famous three chords, what guitar do you play them on?

I usually use a Stratocaster...a good guitar. I have a customized one (Editor's note: with a Tele headstock). I like it because it's very light. I bought a used one, or an imitation, I can't remember. It was the first guitar I wanted and Rob [Schnapf], who produced the album, had a similar one, and said he could have one made for me, because I really liked it. The guitar is a very good tool for composing, but I can also get stuck on one note for half an hour.

Is The Vines' success due to the rock revival?

If it was because of that, because something underground happened, relayed by the press, by the buzz...that would be disappointing. Actually, we didn't know, when we recorded Winning Days (Note by me: probably misprint - it should be Highly Evolved), that the record was going to be released in the USA, that we were going to sign with a record label... it's not an incredible era. There have always been bands everywhere, all the time, and it was inevitable that we would return to that.

What changed for you with the insane success you had following the release of Highly Evolved?

I don't think it changed our vision of music and our personal lives, because when it happened, we took it for what it was. It wasn't happening inside us, but outside, so... I hope you believe me when I say this — I mean, I hope our album does well, but at the same time, I don't expect anything, because of these records I listen to, like Suede or Manic Street Preachers... They're so brilliant... They should be at the top of the charts, but as we all know, we live in the wrong world.

You're very restless in interviews, you like to bully journalists....

Oh, uh...No, it's not that I hate the press, but rather for what I do, and for the person I am, it doesn't really matter. It seems arrogant, but that's how it is. Some interviews are like an interrogation, but I don't give a shit, in that case, "Fuck off!"