Customer Reviews

Finelines

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I happened to come across this band by complete accident while driving home one late night, with the local radio station playing "new" stuff. The DJ announced the song "Always: Your Way" by one My Vitriol, describing them as the English version of the Foo Fighters. The song absolutely rocked the party that rocks the body, causing me to buy this album. "Finelines" honestly has to be one of the best albums of the 2000 era, an era dominated by horrible rap-rock groups and Blink 182 wannabes. This album has great hooks and a style similar to that of great bands of the past -- the Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, etc. Albums like this make me wish that I was in England right now, able to escape from all the worthless limp biscuits and corns of the USA. The hooks are catchy, not bland like new found glory or Sum 41. These guys (and girl) have created one of the better albums of 2001 with a catchy, not-quite-hard rock, but in-your-face sound. American bands take note: be more like My Vitriol. (this of course excludes the likes of Nada Surf, Weezer, Fugazi, and pretty much every band that is not trying to be as horrible like linkin park). My Vitriol could very well be the saviors of rock and roll as we know it.

An unexpected gem in my opinion....the usually hyperbolic British press can be at fault for glorifying some 'unworthy' bands/artists, but "Finelines" is an excellent release....I don't hear much Nirvana, but I do hear some of the more palpable 'noisy bits' of My Bloody Valentine and other '90's shoegazer bands, like the House of Love and Ride....what sets MY VITRIOL apart is their melodic sensibilities...the songs are memorable, with "Always, Your Way" being a notable example.....loud guitars and a catchy tune will always stand the test of repeated listenings.....a MUST purchase if you like your pop with some noise and dynamics mixed in....A+++++++

My vitriol have been described as "Nirvana meet My bloody valentine" but frankly there's little of either bands in MV's music. Ok, there is some feedback and some reverb but that's kept to a minimum, compared to My bloody valentine's trademark whirls of distortion. And what about Nirvana? I can see that they might be among the band's influences but that's just about it. They're basically a young band playing melodic, guitar-laden indie rock although they're definitely heavier than bands such as Coldplay (in fact they often border on metal and the more melodic side of shoegazing). Several tracks are really good and on the whole I find the album definitely enjoyable! Anyway, listen to a few samples before buying!

"Finelines" is officially the best album I've heard since Idlewild's classic "100 Broken Windows" charged its way into my skull. I'd call their sound neo-shoegaze rock; imagine Dave Grohl and Billy Corgan growing up in England and starting a pedal-driven noisepop band.
From the opening chime of instrumental "Alpha Waves" I was excited about this one; an up-and-coming band apparently influenced by classic shoegaze! "AW" slips effortlessly into the big single "Always Your Way", a classic, anthemic noisy pop tune that I can't say enough good things about. A couple of listens to this and I couldn't get it out of my head for days.

This is one of those rare albums in which most of the tracks could be singles, and, in fact, 5 of them have already been released as such in the UK. From the rollicking "Losing Touch", to catchy "Cemented Shoes", there is almost literally no filler. Even the few instrumental tracks are great fun. The album is mixed beautifully, interspersing gorgeous guitar bits which allow the tracks to flow effortlessly.

All in all, a bombastic debut from a young UK band. The album is due for US release in 4th quarter 2001, so keep your eyes open, or spring for the import.

I definitely hear MBV in the guitar sounds, but My Vitriol is harder, more serious, and definitely more vocal-based. 'Always Your Way' and a few other tracks do reveal a Foo Fighters-esque character about his voice, but without the tongue in cheek that for me has always detracted from their sound. The production is nicely layered with weird, spatialized stuff swirling around, popping out at the proximity of the soundfield, or just accenting the already good composition. The transition from 'Alpha waves' to the next track is breathtaking. 'Pieces' is a very good song, as are several others on here. But by far the most fascinating is 'Ode To The Red Queen' with its striking guitar riffs, awesome vocals, and a mood that truly sets this band apart from its progenitors. The bass player, Carolyn Bannister, is also probably one of the top ten most beautiful women on the planet. Surely that couldn't hurt the band's rise to fame. In July, a remixed and remastered version will be released in the US, along with a b-sides-bundled double album called "Between the Lines". The b-sides interest me, but I have no clue how you could improve the mixing and mastering of this disk, other than maybe just porting the original mix's master to Model 2 Optimized HDCD. If you've read my other reviews you know how anal I can be about sound quality, so I'm very suspicious of anyone who thinks this record needs any significant "adjustment". Just be aware.

I received this CD via a friend from England. This is an outstanding CD and it is strong all the way through. Rumor has it that they are planning to release the album stateside but that is all that it is at this time just a rumor.

If you get your hands on it you will not be disappointed!

Cómo se atreven a comparar a esta banda con foo fighters???? My vitriol es mucho mejor¡¡¡¡

This is a great album. It's definitely one of my favorites of 2001. Top 3 for sure.

This band is about ready to make huge waves in pop music. They're already storming in the UK and hopefully 2001 will see them break in the States. If you've ever gone nuts over guitar riffs of Swervedriver or Sonic Youth or the gentle reverbed melodies of Ride or Lush or Slowdive, then this band is for you. There has been a lot of comparison with Nirvana and Sonic Youth but I feel that MV's sound stays closer to their Brit peers of the early 90s (especially Swervedriver) - the sound that reminds me of warm, lazy, sunny afternoons in autumn, before the chill sets in. The album begins with the rush of "Alpha Waves" a cool, buzzing instrumental, and then flows into the catchy "Always Your Way". In the middle of the album there are 3 or 4 songs that sort of make up the high point of the album including "Infantile", "Ode To The Red Queen", and "Tongue Tied", all destined to be classics. Don't think that MV is breaking any new ground here (how many bands are these days?), but the songs they have put forth really hold together well. This album is a pleasure to listen to from start to finish. They sound very tight for such a young band. I only wish that more thought were put into the lyrics- then it would have been a spectacular debut album.

i got this as soon as it came out over here and it lived up to most of my expectations.

the nirvana influences are definitely there, among others, such as the underlying shoegazer atmosphere.

tracks like the outstanding 'losing touch' and 'falling off the floor' make it a fine addition to my collection.

i can only complain that they don't venture away from the traditional formula much - many tracks sounding very similar.

if you liked the any of the singles you are sure to like the album. go and buy it now