Pin-Ups – S/T / 1994 Poptown / 5 Tracks / Reviewed 31 January 2006

The Pin-Ups begin this EP with “Tonite” relying on the sound on bands like The Carsfor influence; even if this album is twelve years, there is a definite sound from the eighties that is culled together by the Pin-Ups. There seems to be a certain factor that the band lacks in moving from the eighties to the nieties, and that really has to be a lack of down and dirty type of sound. Everything is perfectly arranged, but this really seems to play more on listeners mentalities instead of actually provoking an emotional response in the listener.

The retro sound continues with “Rock and Roll”, with a Jefferson Starship type of sound that comes through on the slow beginning of this song. The emotional heights that are achieved during the disc mix with a Kansas-styled guitar solo that again suffers from the same systematic limitations that “Tonite” did. In a sense, the use of nuance on “Rock and Roll” really seems to link the band with later Foghat; the track (as with all the rest on the disc) is ready for then-classic rock radio, even if there are some things that hold Pin-Ups from really hitting a home run with this album. “Communion” is another type of track that really panders to the slower side of the band; while there seems to be some dramatic tension created, the band does not get any more “rocking” than an act like the Psychedelic Furs. There is nothing inherently wrong with this sound, but really needs to be said if listeners are expecting the entire EP to sound like “Tonite”.

The instrumental breakdown during the track is a nice touch but really does not contribute much of anything that listeners have not heard; it really is more of a functional break between two segments of the same song. Pin-Ups really have no problem on this EP creating a track that could still be played on classic rock radio to this very day, but really has a problem coming through with something that really makes this style of music interesting for a new audience. This is essentially the same problem as what occurs to previous superstar bands that would rather rest on their hits instead of coming up and making themselves vital to a new audience. One does not even need to go and say that this disc has been dated; I know quite a few albums from a lot earlier than 1994 that are still fresh and vital to listeners now.

Top Track: Groovy

Rating: 5.5/10

[JMcQ]