
Wig Wam
Wall Street
Frontiers
2012
I will not make any pretenses, about not LOVING, Wig Wam since in them, alongside, with their Swede, comrades “The Poodles” I have found a good enough substitute for what I have been missing in music, since, Queen fell by the wayside, following Freddie's untimely death in the early 90s. Read: Polyphony, harmonies, clever song ideas that sometimes border on being camp and great vocals! Dismissed by most people as a gimmick, a one off, or a Eurovision project band, Wig Wam, have proven everyone wrong, by unleashing upon the world, 3 high quality albums, choke full of catchy hard rock songs, in quick succession!
Wall Street, their fourth album, doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but rather attempts to be a little more mature in accordance with the current times. Thus, the songs tend to be a bit heavier and not as “lighthearted” as some of the bands previous attempts. But, that’s not exactly always the case, in planet Wigwamania! “Wall Street” comes crashing the gate, all anthemic and rhythmical, while hot on its heels "OMG (Wish I Had a Gun)" grooves mercilessly. “Victory Is Sweet” is quite the curio, starting with an oriental rhythm and building up into a quite theatrical/broadway number with sweeping choirs and beautiful solos. Up next “The Bigger, The Better” just takes the piss lyrically, as it rides on its huge bass drum MEGA groove! I don’t know if “Bleeding Daylight” is a pun on “The living Daylights” but while it starts off, in a rather odd timed way, that’s anything but promising, the bridge part, is one of the most infectious and compelling things you’ve ever heard and it’s a great pity that it kinda fizzles out, without reaching a real climax. “Tides Will Turn” is a bruised up and heartfelt ballad... with a glimmer of hope, running through it. “Wrong Can Fell So Right” is a classic light Rock N’ Roll, tune, very much in the vein of say The Quireboys, only a little funkier. On the completely opposite side of the spectrum “One Million Enemies” sounds quite modern and features this semi-spoken part, ala “Hard To Be A Rock N Roller”, but while it’s modern bit and chunky, but half-baked riff tends to carry it along, it marginally doesn’t outstay it's welcome. Unfortunately on “Try My Body On”, the band seems to be running completely out of steam and the song just turns out to be one big dud! Thankfully “Natural High” which is next, while, it ain’t some sort of a superhit, is a very uplifting and kinky little number. The album is rounded off, with “Things Money Can’t Buy” an excellent instrumental that starts in a very tender, acoustic way and picks up some steam along the way, blooming into a beautiful crescendo, that pays Brian May a great tribute. Past the end credits, there’s a bonus track in the form of a pretty “spot on”, cover of Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out”!
A real mish mash, then? A collection of odds n sods? Remnants of older albums? A hastily gathered album or simply the result of a bit of songwriting fatigue? “Wall Street” may be inferior to the band’s previous efforts, but still, it manages to be a quite enjoyable affair on its own and a recommended purchase, for fans of the band anyway.
Wall Street, their fourth album, doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but rather attempts to be a little more mature in accordance with the current times. Thus, the songs tend to be a bit heavier and not as “lighthearted” as some of the bands previous attempts. But, that’s not exactly always the case, in planet Wigwamania! “Wall Street” comes crashing the gate, all anthemic and rhythmical, while hot on its heels "OMG (Wish I Had a Gun)" grooves mercilessly. “Victory Is Sweet” is quite the curio, starting with an oriental rhythm and building up into a quite theatrical/broadway number with sweeping choirs and beautiful solos. Up next “The Bigger, The Better” just takes the piss lyrically, as it rides on its huge bass drum MEGA groove! I don’t know if “Bleeding Daylight” is a pun on “The living Daylights” but while it starts off, in a rather odd timed way, that’s anything but promising, the bridge part, is one of the most infectious and compelling things you’ve ever heard and it’s a great pity that it kinda fizzles out, without reaching a real climax. “Tides Will Turn” is a bruised up and heartfelt ballad... with a glimmer of hope, running through it. “Wrong Can Fell So Right” is a classic light Rock N’ Roll, tune, very much in the vein of say The Quireboys, only a little funkier. On the completely opposite side of the spectrum “One Million Enemies” sounds quite modern and features this semi-spoken part, ala “Hard To Be A Rock N Roller”, but while it’s modern bit and chunky, but half-baked riff tends to carry it along, it marginally doesn’t outstay it's welcome. Unfortunately on “Try My Body On”, the band seems to be running completely out of steam and the song just turns out to be one big dud! Thankfully “Natural High” which is next, while, it ain’t some sort of a superhit, is a very uplifting and kinky little number. The album is rounded off, with “Things Money Can’t Buy” an excellent instrumental that starts in a very tender, acoustic way and picks up some steam along the way, blooming into a beautiful crescendo, that pays Brian May a great tribute. Past the end credits, there’s a bonus track in the form of a pretty “spot on”, cover of Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out”!
A real mish mash, then? A collection of odds n sods? Remnants of older albums? A hastily gathered album or simply the result of a bit of songwriting fatigue? “Wall Street” may be inferior to the band’s previous efforts, but still, it manages to be a quite enjoyable affair on its own and a recommended purchase, for fans of the band anyway.