Review → The Phenomenauts – For All Mankind (2008)
The Phenomenauts - For All Mankind
In order to mark this day following the election in which history was made in America, I’m going to commemorate a successful Presidential campaign based on ideas like hope and optimism moving forward by reviewing an album that professes hope for mankind. For all mankind. See the title? There you go!
The Phenomenauts have become pretty popular in the punk circles for their blending of Devo, new wave, rockabilly, and punk rock. Their energetic, wildly visual stage shows have garnered them quite a fan base. For All Mankind is their 3rd full-length record.
The album kicks off with a short intro track, that builds up some drum work and voices chanting the band’s name, then rockets into “Man Alone,” a song that calls upon listeners to find purpose for their lives; a mission, as the band says. From there, they blast through twelve songs about mankind’s journeys through the stars, building a robot girlfriend who doesn’t really like you, navigational computers, the moon Europa, and other typically sci-fi themes. All these lyrics swirl over some rocking punked-up rockabilly and surf-rock inspired tunes. The cover of the Polecats’ “Circuit” fits in wonderfully on the album.
The songs are pretty uniformly catchy and fun; this album makes for a great party. And not only that, the lyrics are great; just the right mix of nerdy science geek, clever wordplay, and sing-along choruses. These guys are having a great time, and are bringing a listener along for the ride.
Rating: 4 stars
ShareTags: phenomenauts