Pin-Up Went Down – “2Unlimited” (2008)

Label: Ascendance Records

Review by Tony Cannella

Wow! All I can say is wow! Pin-Up Went Down are unlike any band I have ever heard. Before I put this CD in my player, I had no idea what I was in for and I was just totally blindsided. This band is totally unique on so many different levels that it will be hard for me to do them justice with this review, but I’ll give it a try. The band is actually a male/female duo from France. The female vocals are handled by Asphodel while the male vocals and all the instruments are performed by Alexis Damien. Their debut release is entitled “2Unlimited”. How would I describe the music of Pin-Up Went Down? That’s a good question. A little thrash metal, death metal, alternative, progressive, avant garde and anything else you could possibly think of. Honestly, this band defies description. The minute-and-a-half track “Intrusion” is the perfect introduction for what is to follow. It’s a track with just keyboards and quirky vocals from Asphodel. The next song is “Esthete Piggy”. Alexis Damien handles the majority of the vocals on this song, with some help from Asphodel. Alexis‘ vocals range from a gothic Pete Steele-esque style to a more aggressive thrashy approach. This song also features an excellent guitar riff running through the course of the song. The next song, “Nearly Dead Bat Make Up” opens with a similarly heavy riff and appears to be an homage of sorts to Marilyn Manson. The vocals of Asphodel are all over the map in this song, and I mean that in a good way. She has many different styles and ranges. She and Alexis are magic together. The next song “Cadaver Exquis” starts off with an accordian-like intro and then once again is off in another direction. “Pussy Worship” is next, and begins with a funky bass line and the vocals of Asphodel come in and – despite the title (and the lyrics) – this song is as accessible as anything you might hear on the radio. At just over 2-minutes long this is probably my favorite song here, I found myself humming it hours later. “Get Ready to Sweep” is pure heavy and chaotic. With a guitar riff that is Sabbath heavy, only heavier and the vocals of Alexis Damien are just brutally heavy. There are a lot of trade offs between Alexis and Asphodel in this song. Next is “Yo-Yo Yes Than No”. Another song that kind of catches you off guard. “Only Some Shitty Chemical Stuff” is next. It features another heavy marching type riff and more duel vocals. Quite possible the most bizarre moment on this CD is the track “Human Beat Box Deluxe” which features no music just a human beat box. It is quite an unexpected moment. That moment of craziness is then followed by the unbelievably beautiful ballad-ish song “Feat. Me/Feat. Us”. The vocals of Asphodel are so emotional here. Such a good song. The trio of “Be My Idol Then My Fall”, “Serie Z I” and “Serie Z II” bring this CD to a close. As you can tell by the song titles, Pin-Up Went Down also have a sense of humor about what they do. Featuring 13 songs and 41 minutes worth of music, Pin-Up Went Down is just a bizarre, wonderful, noisy, chaotic, beautiful piece of work. Just when you think you’ve got this band figured out, they are off in another direction. You really have to give it up for Pin-Up Went Down. With “2Unlimited”, they have recorded a bold statement and one that the listener won’t soon forget. Wow!