Return of the Album

Yes, vinyl has been making a strong comeback more this year than the past 10, but that's not what I mean. What I'm getting at is the return of the album as a whole. Every song from start to finish. No filler. No crap.

*The following sentence is a nod to Pop Zombie*
In a world full of forgettable music that won't be remembered unless there's a new dance that goes with it...

But, I digress. I am going to speak solely of rock music here, not the golden touches of the Black Eyed Peas and Fergie, not even the Midas finger of Lady Gaga, just straight up rock and roll, the type of music most of us grew up listening to before trying other styles or staying with it.

Those of you who know me well enough know that when I start preaching a band it's usually worth a listen to even if you don't think as highly of them as I do. These bands or artists are usually a bit removed from the beaten path of what you're usually running on musically. Some past examples of my "discoveries" are not limited to but include the following; Lord Tracy, WWIII, Fifth Angel, Arch Enemy, Fear Of God, Sanctuary & Nevermore. Some of these were discovered with friends and others I force fed until they probably hated me, but at least they loved the band. Mission accomplished.

One of my latest favorite discoveries has been Wolfmother. Their first album grabbed me and hardly let me go for months, in fact, it's still in my car to this day. Their second release Cosmic Egg should catapult this band into instant stardom if all is right in the world. This is the first album that's come out in a long while that I did not want to stop listening to. I wanted to see where it took me to next with each song. Yes, you read that right, this album sounds like a journey. You music fans know how rare this is. How many albums can you name that can truly make you feel immersed? It kind of made me feel like a kid being driven around by my parents and some really great 70s rock came on the radio. Almost like hearing Kashmir for the first time, a bold statement I know, but I did say almost.

For those of you who may not know Wolfmother aside from that rocking song in Guitar Hero they, to me, sound like Tony Iommi and Jimmi Page were mad scientists and created something new to terrorize our music players of choice with.

There is no filler or crap on this album which says a lot being there are 16 tracks on it. Heavy, melodic, trippy and engrossing from start to finish. I could only imagine what kind of concept album these guys could create if they chose to do so.

Their album covers even make me feel like I've had them in my collection since childhood. I know album covers may become a thing of the past in the maybe not so distant future, but sometimes you can judge an album by it's cover unlike a book.

So if you're looking for something different to listen to than what's gracing your ears lately. Pick up a copy of Wolfmother's Cosmic Egg and let it have it's way with you.