Pink Grease

Pink Grease burns through six songs in 20 minutes on the mini-album All Over You, smearing them with the mix of sleazy Sheffield art-punk and electro that they introduced on their singles Working All Day and Soul Paco. Their songs have all the subtlety of their band name, but that's part of their appeal: "I wanna f*ckin' die for you/ I wanna die f*ckin' you," Rory Lewaine snarls on "The Nasty Show"; backed by brash brass, punkish guitars, and cheesy analog synths, the song is both decadent and tongue in cheek. This mix of sleaze, angst, and humor drives all of their songs, surrounded by a sense of gritty and yes, nasty atmosphere that the on-the-cheap production (courtesy of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's Russell Simins) provides. "More Than Woman" -- a great, twisted love song to Aaliyah, of all people -- exemplifies the best of Pink Grease's music: it's kinky and kinetic, with just enough brooding to give it some substance. The slow-burning punk of the Stooges-like "The Beast" and "Lou Reed" pay homage to the heroic doses of American proto-punk that inspire Pink Grease's sound, along with Suicide, the Damned, and all the other usual suspects. Meanwhile, "Susie," a sloppy, doo wop-tinged tale of murderous jealousy, recalls the art school weirdness that inspired punk in the first place, and "Shake," a go-go/garage punk fusion, manages to be loud, rowdy, and silly without becoming totally jokey. Anyone sick of neon-packaged punk and new wave revivalists should still give All Over You a chance; its crazed intensity and witty songwriting reveal that Pink Grease is more good dirty fun than most of its contemporaries. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide