Top 50 Albums of the 00s - #31: Wolfmother - Wolfmother

Yep, we're counting down the top 50. Click here for overview and criteria.

It seems so obvious now, but nobody thought of it before. Or at least if they did, they didn't execute it correctly. Just take equal parts Black Sabbath and The White Stripes, and what do you get? Simply one of the most successful hard rock albums of the decade.

This is some fun freaking rawk, hitting all the buttons we need. It's fast enough to bang your head, but slow enough to rattle your ribcage. The success of this record is evidence that we had been waiting for something like this to roll through town. That a trio can pile so much sound together is a credit to the album's production.

Of course, the goofy scream that begins the album is almost daring us to run away. Its utter stupidity is a signal that there will be things we must accept if we wish to continue. Make no mistake, the majority of the lyrics are horrendous. But then again, it's not like Ozzy Osbourne was ever mistaken for John Keats, and that has never reduced my adoration for Sabbath. There were many ways they could have approached this record, but the choice to forge brazenly ahead is the only one that would have worked. Good thing they made the right one, even if it may have seemed a bit silly. Seriously, just look at that album cover!

But it's all totally acceptable. The point is not to make great art here. The point is to rock your face off. And that's what they do. When I caught the band just before the peak of their rise at Lollapalooza 2006, they put on one of the most impressive performances of the weekend. So impressive that some big doofus behind me wouldn't stop hollering, "They stole the show!" as soon as it finished. Well, he was pretty much right.

In sum, I have zero complaints about this record, and have the urge to spin it frequently. Their follow-up, Cosmic Egg, left me totally uninterested, but with the debut I can be 17 in the 70s again whenever I want, banging my head until my shaggy locks get split ends.





Previous Entries:
#32 - Juno - A Future Lived in Past Tense
#33 - Bad Religion - The New America
#34 - Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
#35 - Rodrigo y Gabriela - Rodrigo y Gabriela
#36 - Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
#37 - Crooked Fingers - Red Devil Dawn
#38 - The National - Boxer
#39 - Hot Water Music - Caution
#40 - Eels - Daisies of the Galaxy
#41 - Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks Underdog World Strike