Delusions of Grandeur

Album Review

Clocking in with 14 songs in 28 minutes, an economy of effort Wire would approve of, Mensen's first album begins as straightforwardly as one could want — loud-as-hell guitars, high-speed drumming, and Marie Currie's vocals in perfect cool-as-hell sass mode, the logical descendant of the Shangri-Las and the Ramones. That "Gotta Get Away" barely lasts a minute is appropriate, too, and from there the Norwegian quartet create a statement of purpose that is yet further proof that rock isn't dead, it just needs somebody to do something interesting with it once in a while. Covering the Rolling Stones' "Jumping Jack Flash" is a nice enough nod to universal roots, but tackling Dead Moon's "Kicked Out — Kicked In" is all the sweeter, and as for the originals, Mensen's philosophy is consistent — crank it and spank it, do not pass go. Their friendship with the Hellacopters makes perfect sense in context — one big reason why O.P. Andreassen took some time to produce the album — but Mensen have their own destiny well in hand. When they slow down just a little or play with the formula just enough, things get even better — "Wembley" calls to mind everything from early Guns N' Roses to classic boogie without being boring about it, while the garage keyboards on "Twilightzone" are a pure treat. And perhaps nothing could be more spot-on than calling a song "Tommy Lee" — if you're going to salute your icons, why not go all the way? (That said, the best song title has to be the simplest — "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!")