Review By: Sean Lynch

RIYL: The Stooges, Queens of the Stone Age and the Arctic Monkeys

Recommended Tracks:

Track 1: “Break Into Your Heart”

Track 2: “Gardenia”

Track 5: “Sunday”

Grade: B

Iggy Pop is showing that he can still be a beacon of energy at 68 through the release of his new album Post Pop Depression. The album came up as a secret project and called in Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme to help produce and contribute. Besides Homme, the album features Queens of the Stone Age multi-instrumentalist Dean Fertita and Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders.

“Break Into Your Heart”  touches back into the days of the Stooges. The muddled guitars add to the eerie to of Pop’s vocals. The singing of “I’m gonna break into your heart/I’m gonna crawl under your skin” in the chorus by Pop is a trip back into the early lyrical style with the Stooges and in his solo career with his dark lyrics and distinct crooning. Homme’s vocals pair well adding some light to the darkness of Pop’s voice.

“Gardenia” is a song that pays homage to a woman of the night. The lyrics proclaim “All I wanna do is tell Gardenia what to do tonight,” as Pop searches the streets for his favorite woman. The guitars on the track are laid back and present a hard rock sound. The bass gives the song some depth and plays a large role in the chorus with the addition of a bouncing bass line. Homme and Pop combine to create an interesting vocal combination on the chorus with  Homme’s lighter vocals backing Pop’s darker gruff.

“Sunday” starts off as a typical hard rock song, but builds into something bigger and new. The song begins with sharp guitars and Pop’s ominous vocals backing them up. When the song breaks down, an orchestral composition hits, adding a touch of class and changing the pace and direction of the song. While this change is unexpected and experimental, it adds beauty to the end of the song and gives a different sense to how Pop uses power on the album through power in numbers rather than grit.

Power is not the main emphasis of the album as it was back in Pop’s days with the Stooges. Pop’s power comes from other sources like the other band members, or changes in sound like the orchestral burst in “Sunday.” Post Pop Depression gives hard rock and punk, but at an easier pace. While this could be Pop’s final album, the project leaves with a strong step towards the sunset.