Melodia

The first album from Australian garage-cum-grunge revivalists the Vines post-major label exile (Ivy League picked the boys up from Capitol) continues their increasingly signature take on a variety of stylistic guideposts. If there's an outstanding aspect to MELODIA, it would be, as the title suggests, a continued progression toward Beatles-via-Oasis choral hooks, especially in the aspiring vocals of Craig Nicholls on mid-album cuts like "He's A Rocker" and "Orange Amber." But whether or not Nicolls and Co. prefer it, their most exciting moments are still on actual ragers like opener "Get Out," which recalls the snotty outsider adrenaline of their delightfully reductive 2002 debut, HIGHLY EVOLVED.