Most Disappointing Music of 2009 #3

3. Wolfmother’s Cosmic Egg


Wolfmother’s self-titled debut album had some of my favorite music of the year on it. I eagerly awaited more of the “retro metal” sound they started with. Each song on their first album had its own distinctive style that hearkened back to earlier groups. “Woman” sounded like Motorhead, “Where Eagles Have Been” and “Mind’s Eye” sounded kind of like late-model Led Zeppelin, “Apple Tree” sounded like early punk (Iggy Pop, maybe the Sex Pistols), and “Tales” always sounded like a John Lennon/The Beatles song. This was what I hoped for from Cosmic Egg.

Read more after the break!

Once again, I need to say that the album grew on me the more I heard it. But when I first listened to it, I felt really let down. All of the songs sounded pretty much the same. Part of this must have had something to do with the fact that the lead singer, Andrew Stockdale, had to rebuild most of the band. It’s impossible for me to know how much each old member contributed to the style and composition of the debut’s songs, but there was obviously an effect on songs from Cosmic Egg. Mostly in the guitar’s sound.

I’ll admit it was a little petulant and fanboy-ish to expect the same kind of style from Wolfmother. Like I’ve said before, if a band doesn’t evolve, it’ll die off. But Wolfmother was the first new metal band I started liking since my middle school days of (shudder) Linkin Park and System of a Down. It gave me hope that there was something left in the genre besides rap metal and emo-punk.

Song rundown:

1. “California Queen”: Sounds like Judas Priest of Iron Maiden. The song has a couple of decent riffs, but nothing earth shattering. Compared to “Dimension,” the first track from the debut, it doesn’t stand up very well. It sounds like it should be in the middle of the album, not leading it.

2. “New Moon Rising”: I’m not sure what the influences are here. Alt-rock maybe? The guitar has the same sound as “California Queen.” That, plus the lurking feel that the song has anything to do with the Twilight: New Moon movie makes it hard for me to like this song.

3. “White Feather”: The melody doesn’t do anything for me. The guitar is a tiny bit different, so the song earns a couple points there. I think the biggest problem with this song is the lyrics. They’re too mundane – mostly about dancing, unless there’s sub-text I’m missing – for a band whose previous album had nearly Progressive-level interesting lyrics.

4. “Sundial”: It leads off with a Rage Against the Machine funk/fuzz guitar sound. This is one song that might end up growing on me as time goes by.

5. “In the Morning”: Here’s a mundane ballad. The second section’s guitar riff is repetitive and annoying, and it returns again and again throughout the song. This is the longest song so far. The ending solo’s ok, but not really worth the five preceding minutes of ‘meh.’

6. “10,000 Feet”: Here’s another song that grew on me, even if the lyrics are clumsy at times. “10,000 Feet” sounds like it could be a reject from the first album.

7. “Cosmic Egg”: The biggest problem with this album is the layout of the tracks. There seems to be a pattern of putting two songs that have similar styles and instrumentation next to each other. “California Queen” and “New Moon Rising” and now “10,000 Feet” and “Cosmic Egg.” This doubling is probably what caused the sense of absolute sameness I felt the first time I listened to this. Also, this is my own preference, but shouldn’t the song you name the album after be the best one on it? For example: Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” Symphony X’s “The Divine Wings of Tragedy” and Yes’ “Close to the Edge.”

8. “Far Away”: Once again, the melody is annoying. The guitar riff is a little too chipper and it actually sounds more like something from The Killers than Wolfmother. The last solo’s guitar harmonics hurt the ears.

9. “Cosmonaut”: Following my earlier preference, this CD should have been called Wolfmother: Cosmonaut. This is my favorite song so far, and the only one to make it onto one of my mix CDs. The lyrics are interesting throughout and the guitar style changes mid-song (and both types are unique from the rest of the album).

10. “Pilgrim”: Pilgrim sounds like a clone of something off the debut, but I can’t put my finger on which song. Ordinarily, I’d say that if that’s the case, the song has to be good, but I keep feeling déjà vu. 

11. “Eyes Open”: This song has lyrics by Wolfmother, guitar sound by System of a Down. It sounds like a bad knockoff of something from the first album too. It also feels really long and repetitive.

12. “Back Round”: This might be the next one to grow on me. Maybe.

13. “In the Castle”: Dear Wolfmother, you are not a prog band. Please stop pretending to be. Stick to “Retro Metal.” Thank you. P.s. Oh, it gets better. I honestly don’t remember ever hearing this song before.

14. “Caroline”: Guitar sounds and vocal style by Nirvana, here. I hate to break it to you, guys, but Grunge has been dead for over ten years. (Painkiller Hotel excepted)

15. “Phoenix”: Even the singer sounds bored. My ears are weary of your shrieking, sir. My apologies. This one might have a future on the shuffle circuit.

16. “Violence of the Sun”: Meh. Too long. An unsatisfying conclusion to a primarily unsatisfying album.

See, the problem here isn’t with the staff changes or Heavy Metal Entropy at all. Wolfmother actually did the same thing as on the 1st album – hearken back to earlier forms of metal and create “Retro Metal.” They did the same thing, except on Cosmic Egg, they decided to hearken back to all that terrible 1990’s Alternative Metal. What Wolfmother forgets is that nobody really liked this stuff the first time it came around, so re-treading it’s not gonna fly.

Hopefully, Stackdale will realize this, and Wolfmother’s third album will go back to ripping off/homaging good metal bands. One can dream….