Wolfmother

Time travels backward in the land down under, at least for the dazed and confused. Following in the footsteps of Aussie brethren Jet, Wolfmother spins the sound of '70s rock 'n' roll into something more suitable for iPod commercials and TRL. The trio's slamming self-titled debut, released stateside earlier this year, is like a quick read through the gospels of Led Zeppelin and the Who. Vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale (the one with the 'fro) delivers piercing, sexual shrieks that wander through Houses of the Holy, borrowing Robert Plant's penchant for platonic love, gypsies and serpents, while drummer Myles Heskett rekindles the manic percussion of Keith Moon's "Heaven and Hell." The slow trot of "White Unicorn" clearly obeys the Sabbath and the bitchin' flute solo in "Witchcraft" gets thick as a brick. "Dimension" unlocks Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" (it even says so in the lyrics), and "Joker and the Thief" and "Apple Tree" takes equal bites from the White Stripes and Queens of the Stone Age. Who can really blame Wolfmother, though? They're just bringing sexy back. Los Angeles-based dream-fuzz rockers Silversun Pickups get the party started.