IN REVIEW: Iggy Pop - "Post Pop Depression"

For most of us, hearing Iggy Pop's name triggers a similar image; the shirtless, feral risk taker commanding the stage (or diving off of it), giving his all to the art and doing his part to ensure you got what you paid for and then some. His storied performances made him legendary both as a founding member of revered punk pioneers The Stooges and as a solo artist. That's not to say his career has been perfection; like many '70s stars who struggled to hold the public's gaze through generations of musical transition, Iggy hasn't been immune from misguidance. As such, his discography suffers from a fair share of blemishes, records that seemed like a good idea at the time but, unlike Pop himself, haven't aged particularly well.

However, if we've learned anything from Iggy's career, it's that he can never be counted out. For every Zombie Birdhouse there's a Brick By Brick, for every Avenue B a Skull Ring. He may not enjoy the same sales numbers as some of his idling contemporaries, but you have to admit his wild stylistic shifts and sonic detours have made for an interesting ride.

If Post Pop Depression marks the end of the road for Iggy, he's going out on a high note. The Stooges reunion of about a decade ago left a sour taste in some mouths, and this counts as Iggy's first solo rock record since the aforementioned Skull Ring in 2003, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that there was something to prove here. With that in mind, a partnership was struck with Josh Homme, Queens of the Stone Age leader and one of the coolest people in rock. Homme bandmate Dean Fertita and Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders round out this formidable lineup, and the musicians create a sound as groove-laden and rock solid as you'd expect. However, the overall feel is a little subdued in comparison to, say, QOTSA, as evidenced by the laid back, slow burning lead single Gardenia.

That's not to say that this sounds nothing like the members' other projects. Echoes of QOTSA's 2013 ...Like Clockwork linger in places, most notably on the off-kilter groovefest German Days. Perhaps the more prevalent sonic benchmark heard here is Arctic Monkeys' Humbug; you know, the hazy, difficult third album they recorded with Josh Homme in the desert? I flash back to that one when I'm hearing the melancholic waves of Break Into Your Heart wash over my ears. It's there again on the shadowy disco of In the Lobby.

That said, the record tends to drift off into other territory as often as it reminds of the band members' previous endeavours, and this makes for a consistently engaging listen, making up for a lack of cohesion with a surplus of ideas. American Valhalla uses steel drums and thumping, fuzzy bass as a backbone for perhaps the record's most immediate track. Sunday, meanwhile, cribs some of the Stones' late '70s swagger while daring you not to move your body part of choice. Vulture is a stripped down, gritty tune that sounds like it's taken from the coolest Spaghetti Western soundtrack never made. Then, there's the breezy lite rock of Chocolate Drops, which manages to make a scatological metaphor seem oddly uplifting.

While not much of this will remind listeners of prime-era, visceral Iggy, the last song on what may be his last record finds him in fighting form. Paraguay starts out easy going enough, with a jangly guitar and a tinkling piano accompanying Iggy as he expresses a desire to pack it up and retreat to the titular country. Just past the three minute mark, after some "tra la la"s (yes, really), is when the song picks up steam; as the band reprises the a capella refrain from the song's first thirty seconds, Iggy rails against our culture of fear and the spoon feeding of knowledge made available online. It's a bit out of touch, a tad silly and doesn't really jive with the rest of the album, but it's at least he's kicking and screaming on his way out rather than softly riding into the sunset.

And, really, would we have had it any other way?

March 18, 2016 • Loma Vista

Highlights Gardenia • American Valhalla • Paraguay