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Review: Jack Foley
YOU can have too much of a good thing, and Pink Grease's eagerly-anticipated
second album, This Is For Real, certainly represents
an overdose.
It is an album ram-packed with sleazy, punk-driven rock tracks,
grungy blues guitars, glam-laced vocals, and disco fever that
starts off well, before becoming pretty tiresome.
What's more, it doesn't really sound as fresh, or exciting, as
recent efforts from the funkier Scissor Sisters, or as commercial
as, say, The Darkness (who continue to dominate everything at
the moment).
That's not to say that This Is For Real is a terrible
album; rather, it outstays its welcome, and feels a little too
plain to truly be worth getting excited about.
Anyone who picked up on their vibe during the first album, All
Over You, may disagree, for this certainly builds on that
effort, but I have failed to get sweeped up in the post-punk,
glam-rock revolution, and quickly tired of its heady excess, which
all seemed to sound the same after a while.
There are some highlights, however. Former single, Fever,
which begins with a guitar rift straight out of the Franz Ferdinand
back catalogue, remains as lively and punchy as it did when it
was first released.
While the funky Peaches makes a refreshing change from
the 'yeah' and 'come on', or 'shut up' which seems to accompany
the opening moment of every track.
This one builds slowly and is worth revisiting, because it stands
out so much, and finds the Grease at their most accessible.
Elsewhere, the sleaze tends to get overwhelming.
Tracks such as The Nasty Show, Superfool (a Rocky Horror
Show contender?) and the equally kitsch Party Live just
seem to blend into each other.
And there is very little about them to suggest they might grow
on you.
It's unrelenting, unvaried and pretty overwhelming by the time
it reaches its conclusion.
And the shock value in lyrics such as 'I want to fucking die
for you, I want to die fucking you...' cease to carry any impact
after a while.
Rory Lewarne and co may find themselves having to go back to
the drawing board on this one.
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Track listing:
1. Remember Forever
2. Fever
3. The Pink G. R. Ease
4. Emotional Retard
5. Wind Up Bird
6. Peaches
7. The Nasty Show
8. Superfool
9. Party Live
10. Serial Heartbreaker
11. High Strung Chironi
12. Into My Heart
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