Review #13: Pens - Hey Friend! What You Doing?

Year: 2009
Genre: -
Label: De Stijl Records
Tracks: 14
My Rating: 6/8

PENS are 3 girls from UK, who play something like experimental punk rock. As far as i know, and i proboably don't, the instruments they use are drums, electric guitar, bass and a little electric piano. They change their instruments during many songs, so i think each of them plays every instrument atleast once during their shows. Their sound reminds me of such bands as Liliput, The Vaselines, Beat Happening... And again i'm not 100% sure, but i think this is the first full lenght album they released. Pens are just one of the few bands of today, who's music i can enjoy and i would totally want to see them live. I don't think they'll come to Finland though. I know they've gotten few pretty bad reviews. They really don't suck, they are really lo-fi yes. Thats really cool. But ye lets do the bloody review:

1. Horsies
Starts with that electric piano playing really strange sound. Then the girls start singing, i have no idea what. i wish i would. The melody changes few times. The only other instrument on this song with the electric piano, seems to be the drums.

2. I Sing Just For You
Starts with the classic "1, 2, 3, 4" then the weird noisy electric piano starts playing and is soon joined by a muddy guitar sound. The electric piano plays a little solo. The vocals sound lovely, but you can't hear them that well. Someone said that they use a really cheap microphone. Maybe thats why.

3. 1-2
This is more hardcore punker song. Fast drums, fast muddy guitar. The sound is a bit low though. Proboably really cheap recording studio where they recorded this. But still this sounds totally awesome. And image these girls playing this stuff. Hot. I have no idea waht they are singing about.

4. High In The Cinema
Oh, this is proboably their most "famous" song. It's the first song by them i ever heard and it immediately caught my attention. They made a music vid out of it too. The electric piano starts the song. I can hear some of the lyrics in this too yey. "We got no money and we gotta break in...". Really trippy, dreamy song. The song changes totally at one point and gets more fast, during that point i have no idea what they sing about. Then it gets to how it started, which is that slow rhythm.

5. Networking
This song was released before this album was. It was availble on "No Pain In Pop" compilation album. The drums and the guitar is really fast and noisy, the electric piano plays it's own melody along with the noisy other instruments. This kinda music is one of the coolest types of music i've heard in a long time. Really enjoyable, you can hear the influence of the hardcore punk rock sound, but they still make it really original in their own way.

6. Fukufuckinfuk
This sounds quite different than the previous songs on the album. They really like using that really low tuned guitar sound, which i like alot. The drums start playing kinda slow rhythm, but get really loud and noisy for the chorus. The vocals are so distorted i can't understand a word. The title is funny.

7. I Heart You
The muddy guitar starts the song. Sure this and "Fukufuckinfuk" were recorded in some other studio 'cause the sound is way more clear in these songs. This song reminds me of like more insane version of the Germs, with a female person on vocals. Alot of crazy parts in the song and ends all of a sudden. cool.

8. Crybaby
This is like the second song by PENS i heard. It's one of my favs by them. Sounds like a hardcore punk song, but with the electric piano playing a nice melody along with it. They play fast at first, then the song gets slower, the piano plays a little part and fast again. The drums make me want to jump on this chair while i type.

9. Freddie
Really like the melody. This songs a bit different than the others aswell... no idea what they sing here also. Proboably about Freddie Mercury?

10. Yeah Baby! I'll Take You to Bagel Town
Yeyy. But wheres Bagel Town? This song sounds also like a "classic" hardcore punk rock song. The guitars bit noisier here. I'm not that sure about calling them as "experimental punk" band anymore because there really isn't any uber strange new sounds in their songs. They're pretty simple.

11. Hide The Kids
The guitar sounds like a classic hardcore punk sound in this one too. The singer yells while she sings. I'm most likely not the right person to review this album, because i can't understand much what they sing about so i can't really talk about whats the song really about much...

12. Sally Ain't Nobody
The rhythm here is a bit slower here. Follows the basic sound, which this album has on every song pretty much. Good formula in this song too. This has really rebellious sound.

13. Hate Your Calendar
I do. I hate my calendar. Doesn't matter what day it is, it doesn't offer me anything new................. i'll save you from more angst talk and get to the point which is the song:
This song is a bit slower than the previous ones aswell. The guitar makes awesome sounds out of itself. I guess the word "high-pitched" could describe guitar sound better than the word i usually use (muddy)? well this song has that cool sound with different sounds too............... listen to it yourselvesssssss

14. Know Bout Me
Last song on the recorrrrrrrrrrrrrrdah. It's fast and noisy. Kinda bang yer head to the table continuously while listening to this song if you're listening them on your computer or just get totally insane where ever you happen to hear this- rock sound here.
This is also the shortest song on tha recorrrrrrrrrrrdah (39 secondssssssah)

I'm gonna give them a 6 out of 8, because their sound is really enjoyable, they're a good band, but many songs don't really offer much. They have the same simple thing going on. I bet their sound is gonna be a bit different in their future recordings.