Wolfmother - Wolfmother - MOV Deluxe LP - VINYL

There’s no lack of young men playing hoary old ‘70s rock’n’roll, but the self-titled debut from Wolfmother mark out this hirsute Sydney trio as something special. While firmly grounded in the hard-rock spirit of Zeppelin and Sabbath, both this album’s artwork--a lizard-tailed Medusa pointing out across crashing waves--and the canyon-straddling scope of "Dimension" and "White Unicorn" suggest a grasp of progressive rock lore that elevates them some way above their lumpen peers. Replete with flamboyant organ solo, fast-mutating shifts in mood and tempo, and slightly hokey mystic lyrics, "Mind’s Eye" recalls no-one more that early Yes. Importantly, however, Wolfmother seldom let their proficiency get the better of them: the caterwauling "Joker & The Thief" saves fantasy and frivolity for the tale-telling, rocking with an elemental force reminiscent of the White Stripes, while "Witchcraft" revolves around two or three addictive, tight-circling riffs sparring in tight sequence (it’s true, though, that the appearance of a slightly overwrought pipe solo adds an unintentional comic touch). As anyone who’s enjoyed recent albums from Witchcraft and Circulus can confirm, however, there’s much fun to be had from bands brave enough to flirt with the ridiculous. Add Wolfmother to that list.--Louis Pattison