Cosmic Egg is the second studio album by Australian hard rock band Wolfmother, released on 23 October 2009. It is the first album by the second lineup of the band, featuring Andrew Stockdale (lead vocals, lead guitar), Ian Peres (bass, keyboards), Aidan Nemeth (rhythm guitar) and Dave Atkins (drums), formed in 2009 after original members Chris Ross and Myles Heskett left in August 2008. Upon its release, Cosmic Egg charted at number three on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart, the same position as the band's first album.

The album was recorded between April and May 2009 at Sound City Studios and Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles, California. The title of the album comes from a position in yoga described by vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale as "like the fetal pose." The album's release is being promoted by a series of tours beginning in September. The first song released from the album was the promotional digital download single "Back Round" on 2 June 2009; "New Moon Rising" was the first full single release from Cosmic Egg, on 25 August 2009.

History

Background

Mention of a follow-up to the band's 2005 debut studio album, Wolfmother, began shortly after its international releases in 2006. In August, music magazine NME revealed that the band were discussing ideas for their second album, quoting Stockdale as saying "I feel like we’ve got a lot more to say." In January, MTV reported that "Wolfmother celebrated the news of their Grammy nomination last month by writing a new song, which they've since recorded." The song, then known as "Love Attacker" and "about people who use love as a weapon to manipulate and get their way through desire," later evolved into "Pleased to Meet You" and was featured on Spider-Man 3: The Official Soundtrack released on 1 May 2007. In revealing the news, MTV also suggested fall 2007 as the beginning of the recording process, quoting Andrew Stockdale as saying:

In February, NME reported that Wolfmother "feel good about the second record," explaining that the band wanted to make their follow-up to Wolfmother heavier, "more relentless and in your face." After more touring and a brief period of inactivity with few updates regarding new material, Rolling Stone reported in November 2007 that "Wolfmother are hard at work on a new album." Speaking on the upcoming album, Stockdale explained that "It's kind of cinematic, and it's kind of epic," going on to suggest that "there’s also this fully aggressive side that’s undeniably explosive." Among ten songs "ready to go," Stockdale revealed the name "Back Home", which would eventually evolve into "Back Round".

The first new original material, since the release of "Pleased to Meet You" in 2007, appeared during the band's first performance in nine months at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art (QGMA) on 12 April 2008 in the form of four new songs: "Back Round" (the previously mentioned "Back Home"), "The Violence of the Sun", "Monolith" and "Inside the Mountain". With increasing discussion of Wolfmother's second album, rumours began to emerge in August 2008 that the band was due to split up; various sources suggested that the trio were experiencing tensions after their performance at Splendour in the Grass, Byron Bay on 3 August and that a statement was going to be released by their management. The following statement was released to radio station Triple J upon the band's lack of appearance at a scheduled interview:

The statement made by manager John Watson at the time was as follows:

Within days of the rumours surfacing, reports were updated to make the breakup official; bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett departed Wolfmother immediately due to "longstanding frictions." Universal Music Australia released a statement explaining that Ross departed first, due to "irreconcilable personal and musical differences", followed almost immediately by Heskett who was not willing to continue as part of a new line-up. Stockdale, however, promised fans that he would continue the Wolfmother monicker by finding new members to replace the departed co-founders. It was subsequently reported by the band's record label, Modular Recordings, that "Wolfmother Phase II" would record their first album with producer Dave Sardy ready for an "early 2009" release.

WolfmotherBrisbaneFeb6.jpgthumbleftWolfmother performing at The Valley Studios, Brisbane on 6 February 2009.

After a number of rumours regarding new members, Wolfmother re-appeared in February 2009, performing under the alias "White Feather"; two low-key gigs were played on 6 February at The Valley Studios, Brisbane and 8 February at Oxford Art Factory, Sydney with new, unidentified musicians accompanying Stockdale. Following the performances, the new members of Wolfmother, who had officially joined the band on 5 January 2009, were confirmed as guitarist Aidan Nemeth, bassist and keyboardist Ian Peres and drummer Dave "Acosta" Atkins and a new song called "Pilgrim" was mentioned. Other songs debuted at the two low-key comeback performances included "White Feather", "Phoenix", "Far Away" and "10,000 Ft.", complemented by the previously performed "Back Round" and "The Violence of the Sun", as well as Wolfmother 'classics'. In an interview with Triple J in February, Stockdale mentioned a number of songs being considered for the new album – "Pilgrim", "Phoenix", "Back Round", "The Violence of the Sun" and the previously and subsequently unmentioned "Sun Dial". He also revealed that there were seventeen new songs written for the album, due to begin recording in March, which he described as "heavy" and "riff driven."

Recording and production

Stockdale began recording early versions of new songs in his home-based studio before new members were officially unveiled. With subsequent comeback performances made on 14 and 22 March at Sound Relief and Clipsal 500, the first official material released by "Wolfmother Phase II" was a studio version of "Back Round", made available as a free digital download on the band's official website on 30 March. Stockdale began using his Twitter profile in April, with his first update on 9 April confirming recording progression by revealing that the band were "Onto the 9th song tracking drums, looks like this will be a double album spectacular." On 11 April, Stockdale revealed that they had "Tracked the 14th song," and by 15 April the band had tracked the drums on all eighteen songs. The title of the album was revealed as Cosmic Egg by NME in April, who also revealed that the album would contain eighteen songs including "White Feather", "The Violence of the Sun" and the title track. On 1 May, Wolfmother performed at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, debuting new songs "Cosmic Egg" and "California Queen". Beginning in late-April,confirmation began spreading that ex-Guns N' Roses and current Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash was to join the band in recording their new album. It is currently unclear whether the collaboration will be featured on Cosmic Egg, Slash's debut solo album Slash & Friends, both or neither, but Stockdale described the performance as "a great jam with Slash and his crew," adding that "we may well have an epic on our hands, with a monumental solo of course!" Stockdale later uploaded a picture of Slash playing acoustic guitar, to further confirm the performance.

On 9 May, Stockdale reported on his Twitter page that the band had "3 more songs to go, of 17 songs," adding that "this is an endurance test, though the horizon seems closer." Later, he notified readers that he was "About to shred the solo on White Feather," describing it as "possibly the greatest song written since Womac and Womac's "Foot Steps" Yes!" On 15 May, Stockdale reported that the title track, "Cosmic Egg", had been completed, describing it as "a rollicking viking song!" On 16 May, Stockdale hinted at the prominence of a string section on the song "10,000 Ft." by revealing that "Dave has done some amazing string arrangements for 10,000 feet, he's a talented guy!" Shortly after this update, a link was posted on the Twitter page to a montage video of the band recording and mixing some songs on the album, including "Back Round" and "Pilgrim". On 20 May, Stockdale reported that the album was near to completion, stating that there are "Ten songs down, Seven to go," adding "we're in double album territory now. It's a vast album." On 22 May, another Twitter update revealed that "tomorrow we may well be finished! Then 4 weeks of mixing!" On 30 May, Stockdale reported that the band were "leaving L.A tonight with Album in hand," confirming that recording for Cosmic Egg had been completed.

Cosmic Egg was mixed in Pasadena, California shortly after the recording of the album, by Stockdale, Moulder and Joe Barresi. On 18 June, Stockdale reported that he had "Just heard a mixed and mastered version of Cosmic Egg the song," describing it as "of the Richter Scale." In the tweet, he also revealed that the album would be released on 13 October 2009. On 3 August, Stockdale revealed that he had "Just recorded some B Sides at Electric Ladyland, Jimi Hendrix's studio in N.Y.," adding that the recordings "Sounds amazing," with a "great vibe!"

Style and direction

In revealing details of the album to NME in April 2009, Stockdale compared Cosmic Egg to the band's debut album, Wolfmother, by explaining that "Everything is magnified. The heaviness is magnified to heavier state. The simple ones are really simplistic, two-minute songs, and the journey songs are like 12 parts." Speaking on the collaboration with guitarist Slash, Stockdale described the song as "WM meet G'n'R ," adding that "both styles really compliment each other." In a pre-release interview with Andrew Stockdale, Australian version of music magazine Rolling Stone described the album as "vintage Wolfmother," mentioning features and qualities such as "distorted, frenetic, bass-heavy sounds of 'White Feather'" and "the epic 'In the Morning'." MTV hint at the style of the album, suggesting that "Tunes like 'California Queen' and 'Sundial' chug along on meaty chords, dive into sludgy breakdowns and sizzle with Stockdale's flame-kissed solos." Writer James Montgomery goes on to add that "'Far Away' and 'Pilgrim' are moody, fog-machine ruminations on astral planes and mythic realms, floating on pealing organ lines and stony synths."

In August 2009, Spin published a track-by-track review of Cosmic Egg, revealing the following song descriptions:

Release and promotion

After being tipped for a release in September, Cosmic Egg was confirmed as being due for release on 13 October 2009, possibly as a double album. Replying to a fan's query on Twitter, Stockdale confirmed that the album "will be on vinyl with some beautiful artwork!" The band announced that they would begin touring in November, as well as supporting fellow Australian hard rock band AC/DC at a number of dates on the Australia/New Zealand leg of their Black Ice World Tour, beginning in February 2010. The release date of 13 October was later confirmed to be that of the United States, while Japan (8 October), Germany, New Zealand (both 9 October), Europe (12 October) and the band's native Australia (also 9 October) would receive the album earlier.

In July 2009, it was announced that the band would be completing a national tour of Australia in September, the New Moon Rising Tour, prior to the release of Cosmic Egg, showcasing much of the new material. On 17 July, Stockdale announced that the band would tour the United States before the end of 2009, in October or November; later in the day, he confirmed that Wolfmother would also visit the United Kingdom and Europe later in the year. It was later revealed that the band would be supporting American alternative rock band The Killers on the North American leg of their Day & Age Tour, prior to their Australian New Moon Rising Tour.

A week before the release of Cosmic Egg youth radio station Triple J made the album the feature album of the week by playing the tracks and somethimes the whole album with Stockdale telling the background for some the songs.

On 27 July, the album was played in full at the newly-opened Laserium CyberTheater in Hollywood, California. This was first hinted at by Stockdale on 22 July when he revealed that "Los Angeles – Your time has come. 7/27 is your chance to join in on a very exclusive Cosmic event;" a competition was later opened to allow 20 Wolfmother fans from Los Angeles to attend the event and "hear Cosmic Egg, in full and FIRST." The track listing was revealed by a fan and Laserium attendant the next day.

On the subject of music videos or a possible full movie companion to the album, Stockdale revealed that "We want to do a film clip for every song—just like a total visual thing for the whole record," adding that "I don't know if it'll be a linear thing where it has a script or anything like that but we'll definitely try to create some interesting footage to go with this record." On 10 August 2009, a Wolfmother blog on MySpace revealed that the first single from the album would be "New Moon Rising", available on 5 October worldwide. The news also came with the official revelation of the track listing, as well as information regarding album formats and release dates.

The artwork for Cosmic Egg was revealed on 12 August 2009. On 26 August, a video was uploaded to the band's official YouTube page entitled "Transmissions From The COSMIC EGG - Episode 1," revealed to be "The first of a series of behind-the-scenes looks at the forthcoming Wolfmother opus," in which "Episode 1 travels the open high-way to Byron Bay where much of the record was born and pre-production took place." In September, Cosmic Egg was delayed further "to allow more time to complete the artwork and manufacture the various release configurations." As of 15 October 2009, the full album has been available to listen to on the band's official MySpace page. On the Australian release date of the album, record label Modular Recordings declared 23 October to be "Official Cosmic Egg Day."

Reception

According to the majority of pre-release reviews and interviews, Cosmic Egg has been generally well-received among music critics. Tiffany Bakker of Rolling Stone magazine describes the songs on the album as "vintage Wolfmother – heavy Sabbath-esque riffs and heaving basslines mixed with the distinctive wail of Andrew Stockdale that all add up to something racous and thrilling." In another pre-release interview with Stockdale, music website Artistdirect summarised the album as "a powerful and poignant rock n' roll record with all the ingredients of a modern classic." Writer Rick Florino goes on to describe specifics – "unforgettable riffs on 'Pilgrim' and 'Sun Dial'" and "the infectious hook on 'New Moon Rising'." Florino also identifies "Pilgrim" as "lyrically stand out," describes "Sundial" as "like one of those crazy Black Sabbath stories" and outlines the bass performance as "pretty killer." MTV writer James Montgomery explains that "Cosmic Egg shouts very loudly, showcasing the added punch of three new musicians and taking everything that made Wolfmother's self-titled debut such a smash — namely, gut-busting riffs, incendiary solos and bong-glazed mysticism — and cranking it to the absolute maximum." A review blog, CMK Music Review, stated that "While it may seem like it is nothing special, the simplicity of this album, combined with a constant force makes for a great combination." http According to the Australian Recording Industry Association, in 2009 in Australia, Cosmic Egg was the 75th best-selling album and the 21st best-selling album by an Australian artist.

Personnel

;Wolfmother

*Andrew Stockdale – lead vocals, lead guitar

*Ian Peres – bass, keyboard

*Aidan Nemeth – rhythm guitar

*Dave Atkins – drums

;Production personnel

*Alan Moulder – production, mixing

*Joe Barresi – engineering

*Morgan Stratton – engineering assistance

*Adam Fuller – engineering assistance

*Darren Lawson – additional mixing

*Henrik Michelsen – mixing assistance

*Justin Tressider – engineering on "Back Round"

;Additional personnel

*Kenny Segal – strings on "10,000 Feet"

*Ben Tolliday – additional bass and engineering assistance on "Back Round"

*Invisible Creature – art direction

*Ryan Clark – graphic design

*Diego Ibanez – photography

Charts

Release history

As well as those releases listed, Cosmic Egg was released as an iTunes digital download album available internationally. It was released in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland Switzerland on 23 October; Denmark on 26 October; Canada and Spain on 27 October; and Sweden on 28 October.

References

Category:2009 albums

Category:Wolfmother albums

de:Cosmic Egg

it:Cosmic Egg (album)

nl:Cosmic_Egg

pt:Cosmic Egg

sv:Cosmic Egg

Artist/Band Information

Wolfmother is an Australian rock band that formed in Erskineville, Sydney in 2000. Originally a trio comprising vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett, the band released their debut self-titled album in October 2005, which reached number three on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart. The album was also a critical success, winning the 2005 J Award and 2006 ARIA Awards for Best Breakthrough Album and Best Rock Album. "Woman", a single from the album, won the band their first Grammy Award, for Best Hard Rock Performance, in 2007.

In August 2008, co-founding members Ross and Heskett left the band due to "irreconcilable personal and musical differences", after which Stockdale decided to continue using the Wolfmother moniker with new members in the future. After a brief hiatus, Stockdale returned with a new four-piece band in January 2009 featuring bassist and keyboardist Ian Peres, rhythm guitarist Aidan Nemeth and drummer Dave Atkins. The new lineup's first album (entitled Cosmic Egg) was released on 23 October 2009. Atkins left the band in April 2010 following extensive touring, however, to be replaced by Will Rockwell-Scott of American garage rock band The Mooney Suzuki.

History

Beginning years and debut album (2000–2006)

Wolfmother formed in 2000 and made their way into the public spotlight in 2004 after "years of jamming and anonymity". They were signed to Australian record label Modular Recordings at the beginning of August and throughout the year played a number of dates at various venues (including a tour with Cut Copy and Midnight Juggernauts), before in September they finished recording and released their debut extended play (EP), Wolfmother. The record was relatively successful for such a new band, reaching number thirty-five in the ARIA Singles Chart.

After "6 months of nonstop Australian and overseas touring", Wolfmother began work on their first full-length album, for which they enlisted the help of David Sardy, producer of Slayer's Undisputed Attitude, Don't Believe the Truth (Oasis), Get Born (Jet) and Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia (The Dandy Warhols). The band moved to Los Angeles in May 2005 and rented Hollywood recording studio Cherokee, recording home of such artists as Aerosmith, Korn and Lenny Kravitz. After six weeks of rehearsals at the studio, work moved to Sound City where the album was recorded in just two weeks. Before the release of the album, the band first released their debut single; double A-side "Mind's Eye/Woman" was released on 16 October 2005 in Australia and managed to reach number twenty-nine in the Singles Chart. On 30 October, Wolfmother saw release in the trio's home country. The album entered the ARIA Albums Chart at its peak of number three and remained in the chart until mid-2007, by which time it had been certified five times platinum.

By the end of the year, Wolfmother had won Triple J's J Award for Australian Album of the Year, and "Woman" had been nominated for Single of the Year and Best Breakthrough Artist (Single) at the ARIA Music Awards.

International success (2006–2008)

Wolfmother closeup.JPGthumbrightThe original lineup of Wolfmother performing at the Beale Street Music Festival on 5 May 2007.

The 2005 Triple J Hottest 100, announced on 26 January 2006, featured a record six songs by Wolfmother: "Mind's Eye" (number six), "Joker & the Thief" (number nine), "Apple Tree" (number sixteen), "Dimension" (number thirty-seven), "Colossal" (number thirty-nine) and "White Unicorn" (number eighty-four). On 6 March, Rolling Stone published their Annual Readers' and Critics' Poll results, in which Wolfmother were featured a number of times, namely in the following readers' lists: Top 10 Albums (Wolfmother, number one), Top 10 Singles ("Mind's Eye", number one; "Woman", number nine), Artist of the Year (number two), Best Band (number one), Best Tour (number two), Best Album Cover (number one), Best Hard Rock/Metal Band (number one), Best Rock Artist (number one), Best New Artist (number one), Year's Biggest Hype (number one) and Best Video ("Mind's Eye", number two). Frontman Andrew Stockdale also featured in the poll for Best Dressed (number three).

The band's next single was "White Unicorn", released on 26 February, which charted lower than its predecessor, at number thirty-three. The band also released a second EP, Dimensions, on 2 March. Wolfmother was not released outside of Australia until 24 April in the United Kingdom, 2 May in the United States, and 12 June in Europe. In the UK it peaked at number twenty-five and in the US at number twenty-two.

Thanks to the success of their album and singles, Wolfmother's music has been featured in many video games, films and commercials. "Love Train" featured in an iPod commercial; "Woman" was included on such video games as Guitar Hero II, MotorStorm, Pure, Saints Row 2, Tony Hawk's Project 8 and NHL 07; "Dimension" featured in the film School for Scoundrels, House, and in video games FlatOut 2, and Rugby 06; and "Joker & the Thief" appeared in films Jackass Number Two, Shoot 'Em Up, Shrek the Third and The Hangover (2009 film) and video games Need for Speed: Carbon, Rock Band, and MLB 07: The Show, as well as commercials for both Mitsubishi and Peugeot cars.

The band performed at big-name local and international festivals in 2006, including SXSW, Big Day Out, Sasquatch! Music Festival, Roskilde Festival, Lowlands, Splendour in the Grass, Fuji Rock Festival, Lollapalooza, Reading and Leeds Festivals, V Festival, Download Festival and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival where they were cited as the 'breakout' band of the year. On 25 September, bassist Chris Ross' wife had a baby, which meant the band had to cancel or postpone many of their upcoming tour dates. During this break, Wolfmother released their final single from the self-titled album, "Joker and the Thief", which peaked at #8 in Australia, their highest position to date. The band resumed touring on 4 November in the United Kingdom. Wolfmother also won three awards (Best Breakthrough Album, Best Rock Album and Best Group) from five nominations at the 2006 ARIA Music Awards. On 14 November, when Led Zeppelin were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame, they asked Wolfmother to appear as their guests. The band covered Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown", a common song on the band's set lists of previous and subsequent.

The 2006 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on 26 January 2007, in which Wolfmother appeared twice ("Woman (MSTRKRFT Remix)", #55; "Love Train", #80). At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards held in February, Wolfmother won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance for "Woman". On 30 March it was announced that Wolfmother had written a new song entitled "Pleased to Meet You" especially for upcoming film Spider-Man 3, for which it was featured in the official soundtrack.

On 28 May, the band performed on Pinkpop's main stage. The band played on the first day (8 June) of the Download Festival. On 28 June, the band headlined at Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Finishing up their US Tour in Detroit, Michigan on 30 June. On 7 July, they performed on the Australian leg of the Live Earth concerts in Sydney. Stockdale said in an interview "That will be our last show for this album. We will find out what a green note sounds like on the next record."

Wolfmother released their first DVD on 1 September in Australia, 10 September in the UK and 20 November in the US; Please Experience Wolfmother Live features footage from the band's performance at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney. Other live shows, music videos and an interview are included in the bonus features.

Hiatus and lineup change (2008–2009)

On 12 April 2008, Wolfmother played at the Andy Warhol Up Late programme after taking a nine month break from touring. Four new songs were played: "Back Round", "Violence of the Sun", "Monolith", and "Inside the Mountain".

Despite an earlier article by Rolling Stone magazine which stated that the band was currently recording their new album and that 10 songs had been chosen, it was confirmed on a that the band had not begun proper recording sessions for the album yet.

On 4 August, following the band's performance at Splendour In The Grass, popular Australian radio station Triple J speculated that rumours about the band were true, with a lineup change imminent. An interview was scheduled by the station, though later cancelled by the band's manager, stating "The band is dealing with some internal issues at the moment. They’re hoping to resolve them in the next few weeks but in the meantime it just wouldn't be appropriate for any member to be doing any interviews – even with Triple J." On 5 August, in a statement to Undercover, manager John Watson announced that a change was coming, explaining "Unfortunately I can't make any comment other than to say that as soon as the band has clear future plans they will issue a statement and we hope to be able to do that in the next week or two".

On 7 August, the band's record label, Universal Records, announced that drummer Myles Heskett and bassist/keyboardist Chris Ross had decided to leave the band due to "irreconcilable differences," and that Stockdale planned on searching for a new line up over the coming months as well as continue working on new material. Ross and Heskett played a one-off show as "Doom Buggy". Ross and Heskett are now working on their new band, Palace of Fire, adding the guitar and vocals of Matt Blackman.http A new four-piece band featuring Stockdale, a second guitarist Aidan Nemeth and Ian Peres as bassist and keyboardist (in the same mould as Chris Ross) and a drummer, Dave Atkins from the Resin Dogs all performed on 6 February. The band, billed as White Feather performed again, in Sydney, on 8 February. During both performances, the band played four previously unheard songs: "Pilgrim", "Phoenix", "Far Away" and the band's cover name "White Feather". The band booked Brisbane's Valley Studios to complete writing and recording the album.

Cosmic Egg (2009–present)

The session players started officially on 5 January 2009 and were confirmed as guitarist Aidan Nemeth, bassist and keyboardist Ian Peres and drummer Dave Atkins in February. The band performed at two benefit concerts to be held in Melbourne and Sydney on 14 March for Sound Relief, supporting victims of the Victorian bushfires. The new lineup began recording its first album in March 2009. The reformed group also headlined the Clipsal 500 event in Adelaide in March 2009. The new Wolfmother also played a new song confirmed as Back Round live at the MTV Australia Awards on the 27th of March. The song Back Round has been released as a free digital download on the Wolfmother official site. The song was the first single off Cosmic Egg. In relation to the title, Stockdale said, "I did a yoga class and one of the poses we were doing was called 'cosmic egg', and I thought yeah, that's it. It's like the fetal pose".

Australia's triple j radio played the worldwide radio exclusive of Wolfmother's first single "New Moon Rising" from their album Cosmic Egg on Thursday 13 August 2009. The track was then released for streaming on AOL's Spinner site.

On June 18, 2009, Beck announced his second Record Club covers album, Songs of Leonard Cohen. Andrew Stockdale will contribute, alongside Devendra Banhart, MGMT and Binki Shapiro of Little Joy. On October 4, 2009, Wolfmother performed at the 2009 NRL Grand Final. Wolfmother will be playing Voodoo Fest 2009 held at City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana over Halloween weekend.http

On January 25, 2010 it was confirmed, via the official Download Festival website, that Wolfmother will play at Download Festival in June 2010. However, on May 30, 2010 it was announced that due to illness, Wolfmother would have to cancel their entire European tour, including their performance at Download Festival.http

In February 2010, the band supported AC/DC on their Australian tour. Following the first show in Melbourne, a fan said to The Border Mail,“Wolfmother supported them and they were excellent, too.”

On April 23, 2010 it was announced that drummer Dave Atkins has amicably departed the band. He has been replaced by Mooney Suzuki and Har Mar Superstar drummer Will Rockwell-Scott.http

Andrew Stockdale performs vocals for the song "By the Sword" for Slash's self-titled solo album.

Critical response

Since the release of their first album, the band has gained much success, with reviews being mostly favourable.http James Gange of music magazine Maelstrom, favourably noted the band to be similar to psychedelic rock group Blue Cheer, that they were "more like Blue Cheer put in ten times the effort and creativity" partly disagreeing with comparisons to blues/hard rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.http

Chris Nixon of the San Diego Union-Tribune also responded favorably to the band's rock sound comparing it to "the pre-punk angst of MC5 and Steppenwolfs hard-edged psychedelia" and that they add "sparkle with modern recording techniques", comparing them with Kyuss, early Queens Of The Stone Age.http Allmusics Eduardo Rivadavia notes the similarities between Wolfmother's original power trio and Blue Cheer's sound.http E.C. Gladstone of Rhino Entertainments The R'Zine thought the Sabbath, Led Zeppelin comparisons were partly vague and "pretty limiting", noting Wolfmother to be influenced by a mix of "bluesrock ooze", including Yes, MC5, The Nice, Blue Cheer, Jethro Tull and Grand Funk, and "the best version of great rock available at the moment." E.C. Gladstone, Wolfmother Debut Album, Rhino Zine Review, Issue #806, Rhino Records, http A review by Total Guitars Phil Ascott calls Wolfmother's music "ruddy marvellous", and Pitchfork Medias Cory Byroum praises them for "how capably they strike a balance between meaty vintage metal and crisp, stoner-rock melodies". Others hold that their music is too derivative of 70's rock; a Stylus Magazine review by Patrick McNally states "everything there is to say about them is best said by immediate reference to another band and Wolfmother always come up short in the comparison", Another Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine is more critical, calling their music "precious, inarticulate, confused" when compared to that of their musical influences, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Cream and Black Sabbath.

Wolfmother has responded to the accusations about the perceived derivative nature of their music, " don't pretend that we're … There's similarities in our sound, but we're not trying to emulate them at all." Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke stated in a 2006 interview with Mojo magazine that he is a fan of Wolfmother. In 2007, Alice Cooper described Wolfmother's sound to Guy Blackman of The Sydney Morning Herald, stating that they are "like a teenage Jimi Hendrix, Steppenwolf kind of band".

In his 'List of the Day', Yahoo! critic Rob O'Connor noted them as number 15 on his list of 'The Greatest Australian Acts'.http Furthermore, he compared their sound to be more reminiscent of psychedelic rock bands like Blue Cheer, Toe Fat Revival, Bloodrock and Frijid Pink, rather than comparing them to straightforward hard rock bands like Black Sabbath. Despite previous criticisms of the band, The EG magazine section of The Age newspaper listed Wolfmother's debut album at number 4 on its list of Top 10 Australian Albums, with each of the selections dubbed the best 'highlights of the decade'.The EG, in THE AGE, 18 April 2008, pg. 13

Influences

Guitarist Andrew Stockdale noted in a Triple J interview, that '90s stoner metal band Kyuss was highly influential on their sound, noting the band's second album would follow with "Kyuss-kinda riffs".Andrew Stockdale interview, Triple J Breakfast, Robbie, Brian Davenport, Marieke and The Doctor, 29/2/09, Triple J.

The works of Jimi Hendrix have been influential in the works of Wolfmother, with lyrical references to "Purple Haze" in their song "Dimension."Purple Haze, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced, 1967, Track Records While Wolfmother has been identified as being primarily influenced by '70s rock bands such as Uriah Heep, Budgie, Black Sabbath and AC/DC, and their official MySpace profile lists their influences to include mostly '60s groups such as: Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and The Who, as well as newer acts, including The Avalanches, Radiohead, The White Stripes and Kings of Leon.

Andrew Stockdale also lists The Doors as a major influence, stating they were one of his favourite bands growing up. During Stockdale's appearance on ABC's My Favourite Album, Stockdale stated AC/DC's T.N.T. to be a favourite, claiming it gave him "shivers".My Favourite Album, 12 December 2006, Australian Broadcasting Corporation(ABC). More info at: http

Andrew Stockdale has described the band's sound as "a mix of the playfulness of Earth Wind and Fire with the intensity of Black Flag".

Band members

;Current members

*Andrew Stockdale – lead vocals, lead guitar (2000–present)

*Aidan Nemeth – rhythm guitar (2009–present)

*Ian Peres – bass, keyboards, backing vocals (2009–present)

*Will Rockwell-Scott – drums, percussion (2010–present)

;Former members

*Chris Ross – bass, keyboards (2000–2008)

*Myles Heskett – drums, percussion (2000–2008)

*Dave Atkins – drums, percussion (2009–2010)

Discography

;Studio albums

*Wolfmother (2005)

*Cosmic Egg (2009)

Awards

Upon its release, Wolfmother's debut album won the 2005 J Award for Best Australian Album. Also in 2005, the song "Woman" was nominated for Single of the Year and Best Breakthrough Artist – Single at the ARIA Awards, eventually losing out to Ben Lee's "Catch My Disease" and End of Fashion's "O Yeah", respectively. In 2006 Wolfmother's Australian success continued – they received nominations for Spankin' New Aussie Artist, Best New Group and Best Rock Video (for "Mind's Eye") at the MTV Australia Awards; and were nominated for the Jack Award for Best Live Band. At the 2006 ARIA Awards, the band won Best Breakthrough Album, Best Rock Album (both for Wolfmother) and Best Group, and received nominations for Album of the Year (for Wolfmother) and Single of the Year (for "Mind's Eye") – a total of three wins from five nominations.

In 2007, Wolfmother received their first award nominations from outside of their home country. At the 2007 BRIT Awards, they were nominated for the award for International Breakthrough Act, ultimately losing out to American band Orson. In the United States, the band won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 2007 ceremony for their song "Woman". Wolfmother were re-nominated for Best Live Band at the 2007 Jack Awards, and this time the trio won it. Several nominations were again received at the MTV Australias, this time for Best Group, Viewer's Choice Award, Best Rock Video and Video of the Year (both for "Joker & the Thief"). In 2008 Wolfmother received one award from one nomination – the APRA Award for Most Played Australian Work Overseas, for their song "Woman".

;APRA Awards

The annual APRA Awards are presented by the Australasian Performing Right Association. Wolfmother has received three awards from three nominations.

References