Let There Be Rock

This time, I'm even later to the party.

I've been meaning to listen to Wolfmother's self-titled debut LP for a while. I kept putting off buying it, instead opting to fill several holes in my CD collection instead(holes shaped like Rihanna *).

That was a mistake.

If you love to rock, if you like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, buy this album NOW. Do not listen to the criticism that is just the former bands recycled.

For one thing, it doesn't matter if it's just a new band trying to be Zeppelin or Sabbath. The point is its a young new band trying to be Zeppelin(lead singer Andrew Stockdale even has a Plant-esque voice). A re-united Zeppelin could not make a better album than Wolfmother(I am aware that a re-united Zeppelin is impossible, but you get the point). The best rock will always have a youthful energy that you can't just keep forever. Even though A Bigger Bang is a decent Stones record, it won't ever rock like Beggar's Banquet or Let It Bleed.

We need young bands to make this kind of music, because the rock "gods" aren't really immortal. And who knows what we will have to listen to in the afterlife. Someone has to carry the torch, and Wolfmother does a damn good job.

Besides that, I would contend that this isn't just Led Zeppelin re-dux by three Australian kids. This is a damn fine piece of music on it's own. These guys can play, and they can write some good songs.

And besides that, this is their first album. Led Zeppelin I was good, but not without fault. Listen to it, it's almost like the same hard-rock blues song throughout the entire album.

Rich Robinson, guitarist for The Black Crowes, once said "There's no new music, ever period. I interpret Keith Richards in the same way Keith Richards interpreted Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry".

Although I don't believe his point is literally true; I do believe that sometimes music fans get way too obsessed with originality.

Wolfmother rocks. Just enjoy it and be young again.

*I realize owning the SOS single probably robs me of much of my rock credibility in a lot of people's eyes. These people though, great music fans that they are, are just afraid to let loose with any kind of sexual expression that isn't overtly masculine and adolescent. Oh, and I think Rihanna is hot.