This Australian retro-rock outfit emerged in 2006 with a fat-free debut that played like "Led Zeppelin II" for Generation ADHD. Despite the band's worldwide success, two-thirds of Wolfmother's original lineup quit the group last year, citing irreconcilable creative differences with big-haired frontman Andrew Stockdale. Perhaps they were tired of killer and hungry for filler.

Or maybe it was the other way around: Assisted by three fresh recruits unlikely to tell their new boss no, Stockdale stretches his prog-metal legs on "Cosmic Egg," which with its lengthy guitar solos, trippy instrumental bits and overheated sci-fi lyrics seems more suited to genre enthusiasts than to Top 40 tourists. Given Stockdale's way with an economy-size hook, that's an unfortunate allocation of resources; too few of the dozen tracks here reach out and demand your attention the way older songs like "Woman" or "Dimension" did.

Some tunes are catchier than others: Opener "California Queen" has a leanly insistent two-note riff, while "White Feather" rides a heavy-funk groove. And as trippy instrumental bits go, well, Wolfmother's do the job; in "Violence of the Sun," for instance, there's a droning keyboard part that sounds like blood pumping through your brain.

Yet for all his laser-light-show aspirations, Stockdale's strength doesn't really lie in blowing your mind. He's more of a move-your-feet kind of guy.

-- Mikael Wood

Wolfmother
"Cosmic Egg"
DGC/Interscope
Two stars (Out of four)

An unplugged setting like Neil Young's annual Bridge School Benefit presents musicians who usually rely on megawatts of amplified music the opportunity -- and the challenge -- to find alternate means of channeling their music.

Bush front man Gavin Rossdale chose a nugget from the Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks songbook, "Landslide," in his reverential 25-minute set. Bush's "Comedown" lent itself nicely to the intimacy of Rossdale's spare trio -- two acoustic guitars and piano.

Wolfmother, however, struggled to find its footing without the electric instruments that constitute its core Zeppelin-inspired sound. "Woman" worked well enough; its bluesy shuffle connecting more clearly with its rootsy underpinning. But a guitar solo by lead singer-guitarist Andrew Stockdale lacked the same bite he mustered in his Robert Plant-like vocals.

Overheard: "They're a little understated," a fan behind me stated rather accurately.

Seattle's Fleet Foxes, however, took to the format like orcas to water. Their Crosby, Stills & Nash-influenced harmonies brought a touch of old-school flavor to the bill, which was admirably heavy on acts that have surfaced this decade. That came as no surprise given their strong classic-rock influences. But the stripped-down musical framework emphasized just how gorgeously this quintet's members can sing.

--Randy Lewis

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Photo credit: Randi Lynn Beach / For The Times

The Aussie Afros were fully picked out last night on the Sunset Strip as Grammy-award winning rockers Wolfmother played a special show for an upcoming Webisode for Yahoo Music.  The Sabbath-influenced quartet ripped through mostly new material from their upcoming sophomore effort, "Cosmic Egg," due in late October.

Lead guitarist and singer Andrew Stockdale parted ways last summer with founding members Myles Heskett and Chris Ross, and replaced them with a band that still taps the sound of Wolfmother's eponymous 2005 debut  -- frenzied keyboard/bassist Ian Peres even looks a little like Stockdale with a frizzy 'fro to boot.

Whereas Wolfmother doesn't shy away from exploiting its Ozzy-friendly roots, the newer tunes go a step further and nod at Zeppelin from time to time, which didn't seem at all to anger the Roxy crowd, which banged its collective heads freely. Concertgoers really went wild when Stockdale jumped into the front row of the audience with his Gibson SG during the soulful "White Unicorn" off the band's debut.

For a band that's been around 10 years and is only just on the verge of releasing its second U.S. full-length record, it's nice to have them back.

Set list and more photos after the jump: