ALBUM REVIEW: Iggy Pop – ‘Post Pop Depression’

Post Pop Depression Album review

Post Pop Depression Album review

Proto-Punk and garage pioneer Iggy Pop is back with a record to remind us all that his impact on music will never be forgotten.

The kind of influence that spawned an entire musical movement in the late 70s; punk. Along with Lou Reed, the musical influence they have still shows in bands today, so it’s fair to say Iggy Pop has an untouchable legacy.

Creating his best work in 1977 with David Bowie, this time Josh Homme takes the lead in production. The Bowie-isms haven’t gone though, and at his best vocally he’s channelling 70s era David Bowie but also Bowie’s last album, Blackstar. At times, the album feels like an ode to those Bowie-produced 70s records in Germany, like with the track ‘German Days’, but with Iggy’s avante-garde delivery it’s certainly hard to tell.

Take the intro track ‘Break Into Your Heart’ for instance, where a line like “I’m gonna break into your heart” appears to be a little creepy, but bizarrely it feels normal and ordinary coming from Pop, even as sinister as it may seem. The vocal delivery doesn’t always work to his advantage however, as the weirdness doesn’t quite pay off on ‘Vulture’, a track with a weak refrain and not particularly innovative lyrics to improve that.

One track that stands out lyrically, though, is ‘American Valhalla’, where Iggy Pop seems to be battling with some inner troubles – “Death is the pill that’s tough to swallow” – and also reflecting on his life – “I’ve shot my gun/I’ve used my knife/This hasn’t been an easy life”. Then he goes on to say later, “I’m not the man with everything/I’ve nothing, but my name”, seemingly battling with the idea of his fame, and suggesting that although he is Iggy Pop – a man that appears to have a lot – he may not have as much as you’d think.

Iggy’s vocals have aged into a somewhat ghoulish and at times freakish tone, which does impact his vocal variety across the album. Not necessarily a rinse and repeat formula throughout, as the track ‘Gardenia’, possibly the best track, does demonstrate his vocal melody. Vocalists at this age do usually start showing cracks and strains in their vocals, but it’s Iggy’s sneers, grimy energy and hard rock attitude that truly separates him from the rest.

Similarly with the vocals, the musical style on this album works for and against Iggy. His monotone delivery fits very well with the pacing of each of these tracks, but there is a slight lack of diversity throughout, causing some songs to bleed into others without much differentiation between them. Also, with Homme producing this album, perhaps an obvious comparison could be made to Queens Of The Stone Age, and there are many moments (mainly in the rhythm guitars and bass) that are reminiscent of …Like Clockwork. Since …Like Clockwork was such a great album, this works in favour for Post Pop Depression too, as it’s quite hard to fault much of the instrumentation, but it’s also difficult to shake off the similarities as well. It especially becomes apparent when Josh Homme comes in on some backing vocals, like with the track ‘Chocolate Drops’.

However, this is merely an influence, and Iggy Pop has enough prowess to create an album that’s distinct, and has its own kind of personality when compared to other rock records. There’s a lot of quality here, and this is an exceptional album from a legend.

With that in mind, “But if I have outlived my use/Please drink my juice” is perhaps Iggy Pop’s way of saying this is gonna be his final album. He feels that he may have outlived his use, but now other bands can continue to drink everything that’s left of his legacy and cause his influence to live on forever.

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