There is some sort of twisted irony that this metal site’s first album review of the new year is of a punk act. Mind you, not just any punk act, but the “Godfather of Punk” himself, Iggy Pop. Only in 2023, after decades of infighting between metal and punk, and the eventual cross pollination of the two through crossover, grindcore, metalcore, and so forth, could I author a post like this unscathed. There’s also the fact that, despite being the Godfather of Punk, Pop’s metal cred has long been cemented. His work has been covered by Slayer, Ministry, and Pig Destroyer, just to name a few, and he did contribute the spoken word passage to White Zombie’s MTV megahit “Black Sunshine”. Add to that his indelible mark on rock music as a whole, and I think it’s safe to say an Iggy Pop album review is more than warranted on this here webzine.
At 75 years old, the iconic frontman has teamed up with perhaps the most in-demand songwriter and producer in contemporary music today, Andrew Watt, for his latest solo album, Every Loser. Those who have been following this site since its inception should be no stranger to Watt. After all, it was he who was responsible for Ozzy Osbourne’s last two studio albums, Ordinary Man and Patient Number 9. Despite his mainstream success, Watt’s track record in the rock realm is rather hit or miss. Ordinary Man was simply another 21st century Ozzy outing, plagued by derivative songwriting and dull production. Patient Number 9 was a massive step-up from a creative viewpoint, genuinely attempting to pay homage to Ozzy’s 70s and 80s heyday through a 21st century filter.
Does Every Loser accomplish the same for Pop? It’s certainly attempted, but not executed nearly as proficiently as Patient Number 9. From the opening snarl of “Frenzy”, I buckled myself in for what should’ve been a raucous trip down memory lane, filled with vulgar lyrics, violent riffing, and the perfect balance between pissed off rage and anthemic bravado. We are treated to shadows of Pop’s Stooges past through cuts like this, as well as the funk infused “Modern Day Ripoff”, breakneck “Neo Punk”, and sleazy “All the Way Down”. Unfortunately, these balls-out moments are derailed by monotone ballads and ill advised new wave forays.
Granted, some of the latter format works. Songs like “Strung Out Johnny” and “The Regency” channel the art punk adventurism of The Idiot (1977). “Strung Out Johnny” sees self-destructive lyrics collide with a pulsating dance-punk beat and cold goth rock undertones, while “The Regency” chronicles a series of hedonistic forays to a frantic late 70s new wave soundtrack, when the genre was a quirky offshoot of punk before being streamlined for public consumption. “Comments”, another new wave/post-punk tune, sounds phoned in, while the aforementioned ballads “New Atlantis” and “Morning Show”, along with spoken word interludes “The News for Andy” and “My Animus” are downright unnecessary.
It would be wrong at best and selfish at worst to expect Iggy Pop to rehash Raw Power at this stage in his career, but is it unreasonable? He clearly as the capability of accomplishing such, based off songs like “Frenzy”, “Neo Punk”, and so on. And while I appreciate his innovative late 70s output, as well as hints of his 80s, 90s, and beyond work, screaming nasty words into a microphone while a power trio of guitars, bass, and drum blast away at full volume is what Iggy Pop does best, period. Every Loser is not a loser of an album, but far from a winner either. In this rock n’ roll rat race, it settles for third place.
6 out of 10
Label: Gold Tooth Records
Genre: Punk Rock
For fans of: The Stooges, New York Dolls, David Bowie