Wolfmother - White Feather (Island)

Rebecca Ryder | Thursday, 04 March 2010

Now, it's doubtful that even Wolfmother themselves would profess to displaying the greatest of lyrics on 'White Feather'. "Some people stare, they can't compare/When you're not over here, you're there. You see Coco, she say 'Oh no'/Another boy would like to know". Come again?!

Yet the unique selling point of this single is its driving dance style. The screeching, kick-ass rock vocals are still intact, but there has been some kind of departure from Wolfmother's signature 70s-rock stamp and a move towards a more dancefloor-friendly sound. A bit like when the Killers did 'Human', and everyone wondered if they'd been watching Saturday Night Fever a bit too much.

Well the change worked for the Killers; nobody can go on forever in the same vein as when they started out (goodbye Oasis), especially those who started out being a little more underground. And it could work for Wolfmother too, as they genuinely seem to have experimented with a desire to explore new approaches to making music.

'White Feather' is injected with enough of that familiar energy and retains just enough of the old formula to make it wholly enjoyable. DJs may relish remixing it for a crowded floor, but it still has the attitude and love of great instrumentation that Wolfmother have always made such an impact with in the rock sphere.

Wolfmother are featured on the new Alice in Wonderland soundtrack, Almost Alice. Their track, 'Fell Down A Hole', part of a collection which re-imagines songs from the Disney classic, shows that they are still on the up and are a band who are constantly evolving.

Rating: 3/5