MOG

So on my friend Karl's advice, I downloaded the new Stooges album. Since Karl introduced me to the Stooges lo these many years ago when he put "Raw Power" on a mix tape for me, I figured I would take his advice despite my skepticism.

Overall, I'm glad I did. It's really hard to evaluate an album like this on its own merits. It's hard to avoid comparing it to the old Stooges stuff and asking if this belongs in the Stooges canon, blah blah.

Well, I mean, there's nothing on this record that's as good as "No Fun." And there's nothing as godawful as "We Will Fall." The highs aren't as high, but the lows aren't as low, and overall, it's a very consistent, fun, hard-rockin' record.

And yeah, there is something thrilling about guys twenty years older than me putting out a record that rocks this hard. I mean, if you're some twentysomething mall punker in a band like Good Charlotte or something, I don't know how you don't just decide to go get a real estate license when you hear this record. It's like the Gods of Rock were displeased with the musical landscape and decided to descend from Olympus to show everybody how it's done.

And the young guy (still 10 years older than me!) acquits himself quite well too. I'd put Mike Watt up there with Larry Graham and Bootsy in terms of bassists, and the full range of his talent is definitely not on display here, but that's okay.

Having said all this, the weak link here, and it pains me to say this, is Iggy. His voice is shot to hell, and he sounds so flat on so many songs that it seems like it must be deliberate. I mean, it works okay in this context, but I don' think any of these songs would have suffered from singing that was a little more tuneful. And the lyrics to most of the songs appear to have been freestyled in the studio. Which, again, may be how Stooges songs were always written, but some of 'em are kind of creaky. When he namechecks Benihana, it kinda sounds like he's out of gas, lyrically speaking.

Still, I can't stop listening to it. If you don't want to get the whole album, I'd recommend "Trollin'" "Free and Freaky," "My Idea of Fun," and "Mexican Guy."