They say in Tokyo you can find a bar or a band to cater for any music taste. Fancy garage rock that sounds like Jon Spencer soundtracking a 60s Godzilla movie? No problem, The Cro-Magnons are your men.

The last time a Japanese garage band caught wider attention was with the 4,5,7,8’s ‘Woo Hoo’. It soundtracked Kill Bill, countless ads and rekindled the flame of fame for four-chord rock and roll.

The flame’s died down but the music’s still there. The Cro-Magnons are a mini supergroup led by two veteran Japanese punks from The High Lows and The Blue Hearts who have kicked back and kicked out the jams on this bombastic collection of riff-rocking cuts.

Mondo Roccia gets off to an exhilarating start. The opening three tracks thrive on simple riffs, driving backbeats and fist-pumping choruses. The camp and retro aspects keep to the right side of cool for the majority of the record and only toward the end do things wander a little too close to Status Quo or Wan Chai pub rock territory.

The sound is authentically 60s with space and harmonies in all the right places and thrilling solos with the power in the delivery, not the distortion. Mondo Roccia is 34 minutes of rocks-off fun.

-T

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