The Vines- Highly Evolved
I first discovered this album years ago at the old record store in town. I was dead-set on my 80's new wave era ways, with no sign of listening to anything else. I was browsing the CDs with my older sister, who pulled this album with a jungle on the front out of the CD rows. She handed it to me and said "I really like this when I was your age." She bought me it and I went home to put it in my Xbox 360. I pressed play and....... I hated it. I threw it on my CD rack and didn't touch it for years. Until one day when I finally decided to give another genre a chance, I popped it in my minivan's CD player, had a good listen, and genuinely enjoyed the album. This album freed me from my genre jail, and it continues to influence my music taste to this day.
The Vines released their first album (Highly Evolved) in 2002. With an almost grungey feel with a hint of that 60's sound, it's hard not to tap your feet. The album features some really good ballad-like songs ("Homesick" being a good example as such) as well as some spunkier ones such as "Get Free" or "Outtatheway." My favorite off the album is probably "Autumn Shade," with its laid-back sound, it invokes a feeling of nostalgia, at least for me, of learning how to drive in my old minivan.