Mink formed in New York in 2006 consisting of CBS's Rock Star: INXS loser Neal Carlson and some Australian band mates that Carlson's manager put together. The result is a very forced sound. Mink attempts to squeeze the raw bluesy-ness of The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, the Aussie hard rock of The Vines or Jet, and the sexuality of The Rolling Stones (Carlson sang "Brown Sugar" on Rock Star: INXS) into some skinny jeans and a torn T-shirt and it just doesn't fit.
Their song "Pressure Pressure," which received a lot of play by ESPN during the 2006 MLB playoffs, is featured on their self-titled debut album, as well as a bunch of songs about the rawness of city life, hard partying, reckless women, and of course drugs ("Pills"), but for all their bouncy riffs and cliche hooks, they can't pull off sounding honest.
Still, Mink is extremely energetic throughout the album, with Arctic Monkey sounding dance hooks, and even the slower "Dematerialize" keeps up the driving pop rock. "Crazy World" is almost ballad-esque and might be the standout track, showing a different, softer, side of Mink in a tale of lovers separated by distance, complete with blissful "La, la, la's."
For all the downsides of pretending to be hard rock n' rollers, Mink still turns out a fun record, but you have to wonder if Carlson would have done better with a group that already had some credibility. Like, say, INXS? Eh, on second thought, he should probably just stay with Mink.
Mink
Mink
1. Get It Right
2. Madame Chung
3. Talk To Me
4. Dematerialize
5. Pressure Pressure
6. Jodi
7. Crazy World
8. Untouchable
9. Sweeter
10. New York Summer
11. Pills
12. Will Not Let You Down
