The Neanderthals

Reviews

The Neanderthals The Modern Stone Age Family LP

We start right off with a KINKS riff. Given the name of the band and the album, it shouldn’t be a surprise that I’m using words/terms like garage rock, ’60s rock, ’50s rock, surf, and even rockabilly to describe the band. It’s good, for sure, but I find this kind of stuff a little schticky. With song titles like “I Go Ape,” “Flintstone Flop,” and “Neanderthal Twist,” you kind of know what you’re getting yourself into. But if this is your sort of thing, you should like it. It’s catchy and melodic, they’re tight, and they’re all talented musicians. Throw another brontosaurus burger on the grill for me, and that’ll probably need some sort of a tiki drink. Thanks.

The Neanderthals The Neanderthals in Space LP reissue

It’s funny to me that punks have always been so drawn to the kitschy. When bands do it, it worries me that it will only distract from the overall quality of the music they’re making. There’s definitely a space/universe theme going on here. Also noteworthy is that they choose to cover some legendary rock’n’roll songs. Musically, there’s a huge lean towards ’50s and ’60s rock’n’roll/rockabilly/garage/surf. A good number of the songs are instrumentals. Originally released in 2005.