Gigantor

Back to the Rockets!!! (Rotten)
by Vinnie Apicella

These happy astronauts hail from Hanover, Germany, and, as is usually the case, the musicianship is tight. Back to the Rockets!!! begins with an immediate lift-off into the stars with “Pop the Cork,” “The Chameleon,” and the fond remembrance represented by “Marilyn Memorial Day,” the latter being melodious, sincere, and early-going. Returning to Earth to recharge their rocket boosters, Gigantor quickly blast back off into the strata with “3rd Booth By the Window,” and “Nar-Cis-Sis-Sick,” two further examples of unrestrained youth poking through the screen door of normalcy. Then again, I’ve read over most of the lyrics twice and I’ll be goddamned if I can figure out what they’re trying to say in most cases. And I thought I’d have trouble with the accents!

Back to the Rockets!!! is Gigantor’s fifth record in a ten year span that’s seen them rise among the many prized German punk rock acts, though I’ll withhold calling them the “best” because Die Toten Hosen’s been doing it a lot longer and has a leg up. But Gigantor’s definitely not far behind.
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