Ahhhhh……Australia. Producer of fine wine, strangely named animals and bands that don't care ripping off their fore fathers. Wolfmother are a hot new three piece band hailing from Sydney and have a sound that bluntly relies on the thumping riffs of Black Sabbath and AC/DC, the tuneful musing of Bob Dylan's more folky numbers. And boy is it good!
Where fellow Antipodeans Jet and The Vines have struggled to live up to their 'new Nirvana/ AC/DC' tags, Wolfmother have produced this, their debut self-titled album and have succeed in convincing me their is more 'down under' musically than Kylie Minogue. With their stoner rock anthems they have created (despite their influences above) Wolfmother have created a unique and distinctive sound that is sure to catapult them to world domination in 2006.
1. Colossal 5:02
What a perfect start to an album. There are a few seconds of an organ warming up and then BANG! a thunderous (if simplistic) riff grabs the listener by the throat and takes them on a journey involving lead singer/guitarist yelping about "mother nature's child" and "gypsy with wandering eyes". Featuring some stellar stoner lyrics and impressive organ work from bassist Chris Ross which show Wolfmother's experimental side and pounding drums from Myles Heskett keep the beat brilliantly. Perfect start. 5/5
2. Woman 2:55
Just when you thought they couldn’t get much better Woman appears and at the shortest track on the album it is one if not the best on show. It is in the ilk of Black Sabbath and it sure to have even the most quiet reserved people on the dance floor dancing like a goon! It is obvious single material and although it becomes a bit repetitive in places this song is quality and keeps up the terrific standard of Colossal. 5/5
3. White Unicorn 5:01
The pace is suddenly slowed down a few notches with the generally relaxed White Unicorn although still includes some power chord heavy riffs. Although the band have denied the influence of Led Zeppelin this song reeks of Bonham-esque drumming and has a touch of 'Whole Lotta love' when the song breaks down into some experimental organ playing. This song is terrific and shows that Wolfmother aren't 'one-trick-ponies' and can slow it down effectively despite some dodgy lyrics ("we've been drinking on the wine"). Epic, soaring, class. 5/5
4.Pyramid 4:28
Whoa! This song completely juxtaposes the last one. Heavy feedback announces the introduction of Pyramid which once again leans heavily on Sabbath. The baseline is terrific and at only three or notes is simple but effective. By far and away the heaviest track on the album this shows Wolfmother know how to rock and the guitar- less verses give Stockdale the chance to show off his vocal power which he has in abundance. More sing along choruses and (gasp!) some actual mind blowing guitar work from Stockdale. 5/5
5. Mind's Eye 4:53
This is probably Wolfmother's most popular and most well known track. It combines all of the elements that tend to make Wolfmother song with eclectic work by Ross on the organ, soulful singing from Stockdale with more progressive rock riffs. With an epic chorus that is very easy to sing along to and a more layered song than usual of Wolfmother have created another good tune. The highlight is undoubtedly the marvellous organ solo that prompts mass jigging all round. 5/5
6. Joker and the Thief 4:39
A cool sequence of hammer-ons and pull-offs on the guitar introduce the next track Joker and the Thief. This breaks down into yet another bog standard power chord riff. One of the beauties of this band are that they make the most simple of music sound exhilarating and oddly fresh. This song is no exception with a more guitar based structure it rocks like a mutha and also boasts some pretty dumb lyrics ("can you see the joker flying over, as she standing in the field of clover"). Still very good though, 5/5, no exaggeration.
7. Dimension 4:25
"WWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!&quo t; cries Stockdale with greeting to Dimension. With a riff that will surely become banned from guitar shops the world over this is another that screams single at the top of it's lungs. More stoner lyrics with some possible references about the 'sweet leaf' itself "I fell into the desert, I had nothing but a piece of paper".
Once tip-top work from Wolfmother, sure to be big at the festivals this summer.
5/5
8. Where Eagles have been 5:33
The pace is slowed down once again which shows Wolfmother's folk influences. This is rather dreamy number with the base of it surrounding some picked notes on the acoustic until the "I had a vision" chorus breaks out on the back of some heavy guitar and then furthers onto an organ driven melody with possibly the best solo on the album a la Stockdale. Magic!. Happy imagery such as "rainbows tinted rays of gold" make this song a chilled out, spliff smoker of a track but there is no real fault that can be attributed to this track. 5/5
9. Apple tree 3:28
Those who were missing the mindless out of control feel of 'Woman' will be overjoyed with the presence of 'Apple Tree'. It is another behemoth of a track with fast paced jinking power chords and catchy lyrics. This could be the most consistent record since Noel Gallagher or Rivers Cumono succumbed to a drought of decent material. Apple tree carries on with the standard which boasts a cool retro dirty 'big muff' affect and proves the worth of Wolfmother once again. 5/5
10. Tales from the forest of Gnomes 3:36
We are back to the slow burning song again which once again breaks down into a neat, spiky riff. You could criticise Wolfmother for running out of ideas but the band seemed to have found a winning formula and are making their own sound and it is pretty damn good. Still a good song if a bit similar to, for example, ‘Where eagles have been’. 4/5
11. Witchcraft 3:25
This is one for the Jethro Tull fans out there. With an instantly loveable riff working alongside a remarkably good flute solo that Ian Anderson would turn green at. With a powerful sing along chorus and epic verses this a great, well structured song and is hard to get out of your head. Another hit and a terrific rock song plus one of my favourites on this record. 5/5
12. Vagabond 3:52
The album finishes with another acoustic number and the rather buoyant lyric “I’ll tell you everything about living free”. With a nice acoustic guitar riff and some thudding drums this is a nice folk song which from time has some electric guitar bursting through with some weird UFO-like sounds rounding it off. This is a rather relaxed album finisher which sometimes feels like an anticlimax as it is not the most striking track on the album but is still warrants 4/5.
This is a very impressive debut from a band that look as though they have a very promising future ahead of them. You may think I have over-exaggerated with so many of the tracks receiving top marks. Well I’m not, its that good. A good kick up the backside for the music industry today and the best band to come out of Australia since AC/DC. No lie.
