Wolfmother – Wolfmother
Interscope
The transition of quality from CD to live set isn’t always guaranteed to be consistent. It can actually go either way. A band that rocked your world at a club over the weekend can fall flat on Monday morning when you throw their $5 EP into your car’s stereo. Or you find that all the bells and whistles that got your panties twisted were left behind in the studio during their recording and didn’t travel onto the stage.
With just the teaser EP floating around and word of mouth banter, Wolfmother was all the rage at this year’s SXSW as the “must see” band. Unfortunately for this writer, schedule conflicts kept me from enjoying what I am now loving after getting their full-length debut into my hot little hands. All the accolades are well deserved, as this Australian act pulls out the most carnal rock ‘n’ roll molecules from any man, woman or rock kid with a pulse, and spews them back with intricate fervor.
A year ago Myles Heskett, Chris Ross and Andrew Stockdale spent a few months in the “city of dreams,” Los Angeles, writing and recording this stunning debut in the town “Where Eagles Have Been.” The trio seems to have tapped into the surroundings, angles and the vibes left behind by at the likes of Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac and Nirvana at the Cherokee Hollywood recording studio and Sound City where many other legendary rockers spent some time.
Vocals are crisp and harmonies are clean; layered over dirty guitars and heavy riffs that will no doubt get many a man off the couch for a solo air guitar performance, bringing from the archives the immense energy introduced by Queen’s “Tie Your Mother Down.” The Wolfies go all out by popping in a flute surprise on “Witchcraft,” putting Ron Burgundy to shame. “Mind’s Eye” even pulls out some ELO styled keyboards for good measure, making this a perfect entry to the warmer months when we can all dream of convertible rides through canyons and beach strewn highways.
After writing a recent jingle for Coca-Cola (which aired once in Britain), Jack White will no doubt have a Wolfmother poster above his bed, dreaming of the day he too can pull off such a feverous effort.
If you missed Wolfmother at SXSW (like me) or didn’t make it out to Austin, gear up your body by taking plenty of vitamins and drinking lots of water, ‘cause they’re coming to Denver March 22 at the BlueBird.
