Wolfmother

Music-biz publicists probably feel as if they're on a safari these days. Earlier this year, Britain's Arctic Monkeys rode a wave of hype onto these shores. And now here comes Wolfmother, three Aussies dubbed by Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly as rock's next saviors.

Related Content

• In the Whale
  February 2, 2012
• Black Keys at 1STBANK Center on April 30
  January 9, 2012
• Arctic Monkeys' tour announcement has us wondering: Myspace, what in the hell happened?
  March 14, 2011
• Arctic Monkeys, Def Leppard, Junip shows announced. Tix on sale this weekend.
  March 8, 2011
• Tastebuds.fm sets you up based on musical tastes, finds Adele fans get messaged but not laid
  July 13, 2011

More About

• Wolfmother
• Myles Heskett
• Chris Ross
• Arctic Monkeys

In truth, there's absolutely nothing new about the songs on Wolfmother, and a lot that's old. Musically, "Dimension," the opening cut, is a de facto tribute to the hair-flinging blooze rock of the early '70s, and lines such as "Purple haze is in the sky" don't disguise their inspiration, either. Yet affection and enthusiasm power the disc to above-average success. Vocalist/guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist/keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett have such a good time bashing and slashing through "White Unicorn" that the tune's vague ridiculousness winds up being an attribute, not a detriment. Likewise, they try so hard to make "Colossal" live up to its name that most listeners will be cheering them on by the end.

Saviors? Doubtful. But Wolfmother's a worthy addition to the rock-and-roll zoo.