Delusions of Grandeur

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!")