Singer and guitarist Craig Nicholls snarls and scowls his way through tracks like "Braindead," "Scream," and "Get Out," the hook-driven opener, like only a man who's known the crowd-fueled, fist-pumping energy of a packed concert hall can. These are songs that ignite, full of the unabashedly snotty garage-rock-meets-post-grunge glory that sent the Vines' stunning debut, Highly Evolved, rocketing up the charts.

There's nothing superfluous about Melodia: few of the album's 14 tracks go beyond the two-and-a-half-minute mark. These are tight, tuneful songs � loud and fast rock & roll, pure and simple, the kind that propelled the Vines into international acclaim.

Bassist Brad Heald's aggressive bass lines drive songs like "Manger," while it's the swagger in Nicholls' voice alone that brings life to "Merrygoround" and "He's A Rocker." But these tracks are tempered by the more introspective pieces, written by a man who's clearly been as inspired by Brian Wilson, John Lennon, and Ray Davies as he has Kurt Cobain. "Kara Jayne," for example, is a pretty, harmony-filled love song, and "A Girl I Knew," in which he sings, "There are things I couldn't say/There are times I feel ashamed/Marriage was a thing we had/Hurt so much that it made me mad," shows a man unafraid express emotion and admit to his own mistakes.