Neon Animal: ‘Bring Back Rock N Roll From The Dead’
NEON ANIMAL
BRING BACK ROCK N ROLL FROM THE DEAD
Released in June 2017 (Neon Animal)
Review:
A few years ago, I remember reading a review from my predecessor Skid who advised that the toughest albums to review were the middle of the road ones — the albums that aren’t spectacularly great but also not God damn awful. They are just average. Tolerable and even enjoyable but not that memorable. Neon Animal‘s debut album Bring Back Rock N Roll From The Dead falls into that middle category that is tough to review. Well, there is one track that is on the dull side and a little too slowed down or spacey for my liking — the aptly named “This Is The End” — until the song picks up towards the end but aside from that one, all the songs fall into the average category.
Bring Back Rock N Roll From The Dead walks the fine line between sleaze type rock and punk rock. Neon Animal play a simple brand of rock n’ roll that is instantly likeable but doesn’t make me pine to hear that much more. The weak point on the album is definitely singer Mark Thorne‘s vocals. Although the vocals work for the songs, he does not seem to have that much range and you almost feel like he is talking his way through the songs rather than singing (even though he really is singing). At times, some of the album’s songs like “From Hero To Zero” remind me of some eclectic or lesser known tracks that you might find on an Alice Cooper record. “From Hero To Zero” isn’t bad but not that great either. Tolerable and even enjoyable but not that memorable. Perhaps the biggest knock on Bring Back Rock N Roll From The Dead is that each time I have listened to it — and I have listened to it quite a bit hoping that inspiration would hit me for a review (such as for my recent review of H.E.A.T‘s Into The Great Unknown) so that the words would just flow out of me — I don’t really remember any of the songs that I have just heard. Hence, tolerable and even enjoyable but not that memorable.
You should get the picture that I am trying to create here for Neon Animal‘s Bring Back Rock N Roll From The Dead. The songs aren’t bad at all but at the same time, they seem to lack that “it” factor that makes me want to go back to the album time and time again. On that basis, Bring Back Rock N Roll From The Dead is a good effort but not a record that I will likely be listening to in the years to come. Tolerable and even enjoyable but not that memorable.
Track List:
01. I’m Killing Myself & Everyone Else Is Helping Me
02. Spin
03. Bring Back Rock ‘n’ Roll From The Dead
04. This Is The End
05. Kiss Like Dynamite
06. Gimme More
07. From Hero To Zero
08. Bedtime Stories
Band Members:
Mark Thorn – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1)
Jonathan Gaglione – bass, backing vocals
Iv K. Lizz – drums
Miguel Martins – guitar, backing vocals
Production:
Produced by Miguel Martins and Andrés Malta
Recorded and mastered by Andrés Malta
Mixed by Miguel Martins
Band Websites:
Official Website
Facebook
Reviewed by Olivier for Sleaze Roxx, October 2017
Neon Animal‘s “Bring Back Rock ‘n’ Roll From The Dead” video:
Neon Animal – Bring Back Rock ‘n’ Roll From The Dead
First single from Neon Animal’s upcoming debut album “Bring Back Rock ‘n’ Roll From The Dead”. Digital download available at: https://neonanimal.bandcamp.com…