Oh, how hip am I! This album, the self-titled debut by Australia’s Wolfmother, came out a few years ago, but by the time I got around to it the combo had already dis-banded and then re-grouped with a new line up ala Axl’s GnR. Keepin’ up ain’t in the cards any more kids, but the trees are still falling in the woods even if I’m not there to hear the sound.
Speaking of which, this album dropped just in time to ride the tide of the Guitar-Hero’d fascination with propper (and oft progger) rock from the halcyon days of the hard-livin’ ’70s. It’s nothing more than a mash-up of the top-rock tropes that once swirled off of the nanny’s hi-fi and slipped into the bassinets and under the bonnets of these wee little lads from way down under.
One need not crate-dig past Blue Cheer to catch every trick that’s been recycled on this disc. And that’s ok. It’s just kinda funny. Especially when they decided it’s time to rock the flute on “Witchcraft.” Yes, they rock the flute in that same goofy/sputtery/spitty way that a certain band did back in the day. And that’s after they play the Doors keys and the Deep Purple keys and get all sensitive with the pre-glam Tyrannosaurus Rex freak-folk warble and enlightened us with lyrics like: “She’s a woman, you know what I mean. You better listen, listen to me.”
Of course, it’s the guitar that really sealed the deal for me. The fret-born hooks and big and barbed and right as rain on a hot summer’s day. Original? Not a bit. You can can picture these guys in-fighting in the studio:
“No, play the Zeppelin thing and then go straight into the Sabbath riff!”
“No way! We gotta play the Sabbath riff twice, then I scream like a one-eyed pirate, and then we play the Zeppelin thing like we did last night.”
“You were drunk last night.”
“Wait, did you guys rehearse without me again last night?”
But when the licks are as good as this, everything turns out ok. At least until the band breaks up.
