Pop Rocks with Uncle Iggy
Pushing 40 years of pop, rock, and rolling, the ‘Father of Punk’ still calls himself a kid in his latest release Skull Rings—a collaboration with bands both new and old that provides a refreshing stray from the norm to say the least. Iggy defies time by performing several tracks of solid rock and roll with the original members of the Stooges and the Trolls, spliced with the younger pop punk of Sum 41, Green Day, and the Peaches, making this album jump around considerably in speed and style while still being tied together by Iggy’s unique personality. There is a lot to hear in this album, which is good. The shifts of speed and style divide the album sharply in some spots between tight lyrics and vocals and Iggy’s attempts to push his singing abilities with that strange, wicked voice. But who’s to say that’s a bad thing? With sixteen tracks ranking in at an hour of music, you’re almost guaranteed to love the lot and—for what’s lacking in music, you’ll get to laugh to Iggy’s childishly humorous lyrics.
Perhaps the most dramatic moment of this album is the transition between rock and roll with the Stooges to the only single of the album, the Sum 41 collaboration “Little Know It All”, where the young Sum’s back Iggy with incredible harmony spiked with those heavy guitars and steady, upbeat drumming. This opens the door to further surprises, such as the poppy “Here Comes the Summer” and “Supermarket,” proving that Iggy’s only getting younger and more hip as his legacy continues. In short, Skull Rings is just a lot of fun.
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