Wolfmother

Countless bands today go out of their way to name-drop the inspiration of hard-rock pioneers like Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, but Wolfmother, an Australian trio, proves that wearing your classic-rock influences on your sleeve can be much more than nostalgic posturing. Sure, you’ll catch glimpses of Rush (on “White Unicorn”), Deep Purple (“Woman”) and even Jethro Tull (“Witchcraft”), played with all the bombast and intensity you’d expect, but there’s real musicianship at work here, not just cut-and-paste mimicry. Informed listeners also will recognize more-modern influences, from the Cult to Rage Against the Machine to the White Stripes. All of which is to the credit of Wolfmother, which proves that music is an ever-growing, continuous whole, not genres embalmed and under glass.