It seems there is a flurry of music activity taking place in Australia, particularly Adelaide at the moment, most of it never reaches these fair shores but some of it makes the long and weary journey. Wolf and Cub are the next great thing, sharing a lupine fascination with fellow Aussie rockers Wolfmother, it is likely that the name will not be the only comparison that will be thrown at this group.
First and title track vessels can be summed up in one easy word…epic. Loud and brash from the opening note, it is a confident rock track; Joel’s ethereal vocals linger over crashing drums. Whining and cascading guitars at the end keep the track moving through the full 6 minutes and forty two seconds.
The pace and sheer vivacity of playing does not cease throughout much of the album, and with two drummers the onslaught of sound is hardly surprising (although I was surprised to find out there were 2 drummers as I would have expected more noise!)
Energetic instrumental ‘Rozalia Bizarre’ is followed by a mellowed ‘Hammond’, with reverberating synth sounds and careful drums it demonstrates the fluffier side the razor sharp 4 piece.
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With serious Kasabian undertones ‘March of Clouds’ sees the band reintroduce the tumescent sound. ‘Kingdom’ and ‘Conundrum’ share a similar and slightly too long intro. ‘Seeds of Doubt’, is a definite single worthy song, (until the end when the weird zig-zagging bass kicks in and drags on). ‘Steal Their Gold’ sees Wolf & Cub flirt with rave mentalities, taking the lead from bands like The Rapture, Joels twisted voice is accompanied by manic drums and off kilter synth. The last minute and a half is a tumultuous cacophony of atmospheric guitar and more of the drumming that is evidently Wolf & Cub's calling card.
Having already been recognized as a band to watch out for, this album confirms that they are something worth listening to; my only complaint would be some songs are a little drawn out.
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