Wolfmother Cosmic Egg

Swapping out his rhythm section, Andrew Stockdale proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he's the mastermind of Wolfmother on COSMIC EGG, creating a second record that is essentially a replication of the first, equally enamored with all the thick, heavy rock of the '70s, specifically Sabbath and Zeppelin, and tempered with a little bit of Jack White caterwaul. All the sounds remain the same, but the songs have changed: with the occasional exception, such as the Stripes-ian salute "White Feather," Stockdale backs away from simple, brutal riff-driven songs, preferring churning exercises in heavy fantasy, sometimes colored with some Deep Purple organ. It's an effective way to show off a tighter, capable band, one that can deliver a serious gut-level punch, and one that is spending more time fusing their influence instead of delivering straight-up hero worship. And, in a sense, that makes COSMIC EGG a mature sophomore effort, particularly if it's just judged on all the sonic textures Wolfmother serves up.

• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: Pop