WOLFMOTHER
Wolfmother
Interscope
· The mother of all wolf bands is unashamedly unoriginal yet undeniably fun.
It’s pretty easy to hate Wolfmother right off the bat. Upon the first few casual listens, the curly haired Aussie rockers may seem like a blatant rip-off amalgamation of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin with a bit of White Stripes tossed in for good measure, taking notes from the Spinal Tap school of ludicrous lyrics. Afro-sporting vocalist Andrew Stockdale will likely prove the most irksome factor of all, aping Ozzy so obviously that it may just turn listeners off before they even make it past track one.
However, once you look past these easily observable acts of inspiration larceny, you may actually find yourself nodding, singing or head banging along. The simple fact of the matter is that Wolfmother know how to write fun, fist-pump inspiring retro rock tracks, full of sludgy guitars, raucous, racing psychedelic riffs and Deep Purple-esque Hammond organs. What’s the use in even attempting to take a band seriously that writes songs like "White Unicorn," "Joker and the Thief" or "Tales from the Forest of the Gnomes" (wisely renamed for the North American release of the album as simply "Tales").
There are a few more points of contention here, such as the ridiculous Jack White swindle "Apple Tree" (which even unsuccessfully attempts to re-create Meg’s blue-collar drumming style) and the inane chorus of "Woman" ("She’s a woman, you know what I mean / You better listen, listen to me / She’s gonna set you free"), but just try to deny the Tommy Iommi-channelling riffs of opener "Dimension" or the Ron Burgundy/Jethro Tull pan flute interlude on "Witchcraft." Sure, this album is as fake as a Los Angeles boob job, but it’s anchored by some solid rock chops, and for some reason it’s easy to love as well.
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