Oslo City

"Kicked out-Kicked In" was the fist-pumping anthem of Mensen's 2000 full-length debut, Delusions of Grandeur. With its disaffected lyrics and a guitar riff set to full auto, the song defined the Norwegian punk quartet's scrappy sound. The Runaways/Joan Jett influences are still front and center on Mensen's 2003 follow-up, Oslo City. But the songwriting has grown stronger, without losing any of the grit or vodka-heat lighting that drove the band in the first place. "Move Over" is a one-minute-and-35-second bopper complete with a chorus full of "Woah-oh-WOAH-oh!"s that will sound great in a red-lit basement club somewhere. The hip-shaking continues with "Start Over Again," which seems to have bitten the head off of a new wave dance single and screwed it onto the body of a punk rock shouter. Mensen shows some real depth with the '50s teen-angst pop of "Bosnia," which is made even better by spectacular production (incorporating acoustic guitars and glockenspiels over girl group harmony vocals). The song is a nice respite between the sweaty, fist-pumping bursts of melody-drenched punk that are Mensen's bread and butter. Oslo City ends strong with "Sandy Starlight," which represents best the progression of Mensen's sound. As a tightly wound, heavily distorted bassline combines with lead guitarist Christine Sixteen's fiery leads, Mary Currie's vocals trace the story of her titular character with both poignancy and punk rock fury.