Cosmic Egg

Band/artist: Wolfmother
Label: Universal
Website: wolfmother.com

Party like its 1970!

One thing Wolfmother have going for them is that I can only name a handful of bands that currently have their 70’s hard rock ‘n roll sound. The other thing Wolfmother have going for them is that they do it pretty well.

Cosmic Egg is the group’s sophomore follow-up to their self-titled 2006 debut and it follows right along the same riff heavy line but does show some maturation in their song structure. Some of this may be the simple fact that most of the band is new with the exception of lead singer Andrew Stockdale, which I am sure helped shape the accomplished sound.

How it does differ slightly from Wolfmother [2006], is that the songs have more supporting keyboards and tracks that wander into extended instrumental rock solos but really these nuances only minimally alter the overall sound.

The downside of “more of the same” surfaces as you move deeper into the record, because at times the music feels slightly retreaded and falls into the category of forgettable. The sharp concise tracks on their debut are what really made the record move and with no scorcher like “Woman” here, some of the cohesion is a bit lost.

Generally speaking, this really does not change too much with the group itself and if you liked their debut, you will enjoy Cosmic Egg. There are plenty of heavy riffs to keep any hard rocker going and a real lack of any other band cranking out this style, so take Cosmic Egg for what it’s worth – argue with your friends about whether it’s good or not – dismiss or agree with critics opinions; but whatever you do, play Wolfmother loud.

Robyn Gatsby

For more of Robyn Gatsby's music reviews, check out The Fire Note