Monday, May 22, 2006
Led Zeppelin + Black Sabbath = Wolfmother?
On my second day of work at LAF, I went out to eat with a few people in my workgroup. One of the people there, Julie, was billed as having “weird taste in music.” Naturally, I felt a kindred spirit. Well, apparently she had to skip a concert to attend our group outing on Thursday. The band she missed was Wolfmother, and she must really be kicking herself for missing them because they rock.
When I asked Julie what they sound like, she said they were like a mix of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. I checked allmusic.com and they said they were more like Black Sabbath. Hmmm. I’ve got to give them a listen, I thought. I have to say that I’m both pleased and disappointed to announce that that’s exactly what they sound like.
Naturally, I’m pleased because I like both Zeppelin and Sabbath. Actually, I’m not a HUGE fan of Sabbath. In fact, I think Ozzy is completely overrated. Unless you’re talking about his comedic ability, in which case, he’s more underrated than Larry of the Three Stooges. Still, Sabbath is a good band. Wolfmother? Even better.
What upset me about the comparison to Zeppelin and Sabbath was that I was certain I could come up with a better comparison. I pride myself on knowing a lot of music. I also like playing the Bastard Child game, where you combine two bands to create a Bastard Child of a band. I wracked my brain trying to find better parents for Wolfmother to no avail. They’re very clearly Sabbath-esque. The singer sounds like a less-annoying (and more intelligible) version of Ozzy Osbourne. The music is very similar to Sabbath. But there’s also the bluesy undertones of Zeppelin.
The only other bands that come close are Kings of Leon, the White Stripes, and Soundgarden. Kings of Leon and the White Stripes like to slow it down every once in awhile though. They’re both more “quirky.” Of course, the White Stripes’ music tends to be “hollower” since they’re only using a guitar and drums. Wolfmother stomps on the gas of their Heavy Metal machine and doesn’t ease up for the next hour.
That’s where the comparison to Soundgarden comes. Soundgarden frequently did the same, but there were more intricacies to Soundgarden’s music. The music was faster and less “bassy.” Now that I think about it, Wolfmother almost sounds like a Bastard Child of Sabbath and Green Day. Imagine if Green Day took their three chords, popped a bunch of valium, and then only played heavy metal songs. That’s kind of what Wolfmother sounds like. Of course, that explanation isn’t nearly as simple as Led Zeppelin + Black Sabbath = Wolfmother. But at least mine evokes more vivid imagery. That and $3.50 will buy me a cup of coffee (at Starbucks).
When I asked Julie what they sound like, she said they were like a mix of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. I checked allmusic.com and they said they were more like Black Sabbath. Hmmm. I’ve got to give them a listen, I thought. I have to say that I’m both pleased and disappointed to announce that that’s exactly what they sound like.
Naturally, I’m pleased because I like both Zeppelin and Sabbath. Actually, I’m not a HUGE fan of Sabbath. In fact, I think Ozzy is completely overrated. Unless you’re talking about his comedic ability, in which case, he’s more underrated than Larry of the Three Stooges. Still, Sabbath is a good band. Wolfmother? Even better.
What upset me about the comparison to Zeppelin and Sabbath was that I was certain I could come up with a better comparison. I pride myself on knowing a lot of music. I also like playing the Bastard Child game, where you combine two bands to create a Bastard Child of a band. I wracked my brain trying to find better parents for Wolfmother to no avail. They’re very clearly Sabbath-esque. The singer sounds like a less-annoying (and more intelligible) version of Ozzy Osbourne. The music is very similar to Sabbath. But there’s also the bluesy undertones of Zeppelin.
The only other bands that come close are Kings of Leon, the White Stripes, and Soundgarden. Kings of Leon and the White Stripes like to slow it down every once in awhile though. They’re both more “quirky.” Of course, the White Stripes’ music tends to be “hollower” since they’re only using a guitar and drums. Wolfmother stomps on the gas of their Heavy Metal machine and doesn’t ease up for the next hour.
That’s where the comparison to Soundgarden comes. Soundgarden frequently did the same, but there were more intricacies to Soundgarden’s music. The music was faster and less “bassy.” Now that I think about it, Wolfmother almost sounds like a Bastard Child of Sabbath and Green Day. Imagine if Green Day took their three chords, popped a bunch of valium, and then only played heavy metal songs. That’s kind of what Wolfmother sounds like. Of course, that explanation isn’t nearly as simple as Led Zeppelin + Black Sabbath = Wolfmother. But at least mine evokes more vivid imagery. That and $3.50 will buy me a cup of coffee (at Starbucks).
