“Derivatve” should be a genre. I’m not defending Wolfmother – their full-length isn’t very good, especially when compared to their two very short E.P.s, the first of which I bought on a whim at Amoeba and rather enjoyed. At best, Wolfmother is a stonerrock.com-ers wet dream. At worst, they are Witchcraft, but less sincere and less Swedish. As a fan of the genre, (both “heavy/psych” and “derivative” – one and the same, really) I cannot explain Wolfmother’s success. There are better bands doing a better job of being derivative, (see: The Atomic Bitchwax) even of themselves (see: The Obsessed > Spirit Caravan > The Hidden Hand)

But I have no frame of reference for comparing Silversun Pickups to Smashing Pumpkins, mostly because Billy Corgan irritates me, so I avoid them at all costs. So maybe Wolfmother provides people who hate Ozzy Osbourne a way to enjoy his music without having to tolerate the man himself.

Finally, I also have the latest Danielson, Islands, and Phoenix albums. I (marginally) prefer Wolfmother.