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.

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.