Back Round
Encyclopedia
"Back Round" is a song by Australian hard rock
band Wolfmother
. Written by vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale
, the song was the first material released since original band members Chris Ross
and Myles Heskett
left the band in August 2008. "Back Round" was originally released as a free digital download
on the band's official website on 30 March 2009, and was later released as an iTunes
promotional
single
on 2 June 2009. In October the song was featured on the deluxe edition of the band's second album, Cosmic Egg
.
, who joined the band as a full-time member in 2009. The song received its live debut, as did "The Violence of the Sun", "Monolith" and "Inside the Mountain", on 12 April 2008 when the band played their first gig in nine months at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art
. The song was then recorded in Los Angeles
, California
in August 2008, after the original band split up, but was subsequently re-recorded in a studio built under Stockdale's house in Australia between November and December, including some guitar parts on 12 December.
Played at the two low-key comeback performances in Australia on 6 and 8 February, the song made its 'official' international live debut at the MTV Australia Awards 2009
on 27 March 2009, and was released for free on the band's official website shortly after. The song was also performed on 1 May at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
, the new lineup's first performance outside of Australia, where new songs "Cosmic Egg" and "California Queen" were premièred. "Back Round" was featured on the music video game
Guitar Hero 5
as a playable track, released on 1 September 2009, and was made available for free download from the game's official website. "Back Round" was released on the deluxe edition of Cosmic Egg on 23 October.
described "Back Round" as "swimming in chunky guitar licks and drum fills." Rinjo Njori of Earvolution.com likened the song to the band's older material, holding up well next to "Woman
", and compared it to Cream
, Black Sabbath
and Soundgarden
. Independent music journalism
website Altsounds.com introduced the song as a "rollicking behemoth of timeless rock n roll," going on to praise it as "A liberating avalanche of skull-crushing drums and primal riffing [...] a joyous evolution for the Australian band," while American newspaper The Herald
was equally optimistic, suggesting that "The new lineup sounds ready to deliver the goods based on "Back Round"." Music magazine Rolling Stone
reported that the song is one of Stockdale's favourite Wolfmother songs. Though already released for free, the track was a minor commercial success, charting at number 100 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart
.
for "Back Round" was recorded on 24 July 2009. Stockdale uploaded two stills from the videoshoot onto his Twitter page, confirming that the "Clip will be out soon!" As of the release of Cosmic Egg, however, a music video has still not been released; the release of videos for subsequent singles "New Moon Rising
", "White Feather
" and "Far Away
" suggests that the idea has been set aside.
Additional personnel
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Wolfmother
Wolfmother
Wolfmother is an Australian rock band from Erskineville, Sydney. Formed in 2000, the group was originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Wolfmother released their self-titled debut album in October 2005,...
. Written by vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale
Andrew Stockdale
Andrew James Stockdale is an Australian hard rock musician, he is the lead singer, lead guitarist and the only mainstay member of the rock band, Wolfmother which formed in 2000. In 2007, alongside his Wolfmother band mates, he won 'Songwriter of the Year' at the APRA Awards...
, the song was the first material released since original band members Chris Ross
Chris Ross
Chris Ross is an Australian musician from Erskineville, New South Wales. Best known for his former role as bassist and keyboardist of hard rock band Wolfmother, Ross was formerly a digital designer and has two children...
and Myles Heskett
Myles Heskett
Myles Heskett is the former drummer of Australian rock band Wolfmother.Heskett grew up in Sydney's Northern Beaches, attending Barrenjoey High School. His mother was a primary school principal and his father, who died in 2004, was an artist...
left the band in August 2008. "Back Round" was originally released as a free digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on the band's official website on 30 March 2009, and was later released as an iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
promotional
Promotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on 2 June 2009. In October the song was featured on the deluxe edition of the band's second album, Cosmic Egg
Cosmic Egg
Cosmic Egg is the second studio album by Australian rock band Wolfmother, released on 23 October 2009. It is the first album by the second lineup of the band, featuring vocalist, songwriter and lead guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Ian Peres, rhythm guitarist Aidan Nemeth and...
.
History
"Back Round", originally entitled "Back Home", was written in September 2007, during a period of doubt surrounding the original incarnation of Wolfmother. Stockdale began recording some parts of the song and subsequently played it later in the year with drummer Dave AtkinsDave Atkins
Dave "Acosta" Atkins is an Australian drummer, guitarist, bass player, producer, engineer & co-founder and Director Of Hydrofunk Records from Brisbane, Queensland. He is currently performing with hip hop band Resin Dogs...
, who joined the band as a full-time member in 2009. The song received its live debut, as did "The Violence of the Sun", "Monolith" and "Inside the Mountain", on 12 April 2008 when the band played their first gig in nine months at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art
Queensland Gallery of Modern Art
The Queensland Gallery of Modern Art is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre at the South Bank area of South Brisbane. It holds most of Queensland Art Gallery's contemporary works, while also being the joint host to the current Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art...
. The song was then recorded in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in August 2008, after the original band split up, but was subsequently re-recorded in a studio built under Stockdale's house in Australia between November and December, including some guitar parts on 12 December.
MTV Australia Awards 2009
The Vodafone MTV Australia Awards 2009 is the fifth annual MTV Awards show from MTV Australia. The Awards were held on 27 March 2009 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney.-Background information:...
on 27 March 2009, and was released for free on the band's official website shortly after. The song was also performed on 1 May at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County opened in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, USA in 1913 as the Museum of History, Science, and Art. The moving force behind it was a museum association founded in 1910. Its distinctive main building, with fitted marble walls and domed and...
, the new lineup's first performance outside of Australia, where new songs "Cosmic Egg" and "California Queen" were premièred. "Back Round" was featured on the music video game
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
Guitar Hero 5
Guitar Hero 5
Guitar Hero 5 is a music video game and the fifth main entry in the Guitar Hero series. The game was developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision, and released internationally in September 2009 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, 3 and Wii consoles...
as a playable track, released on 1 September 2009, and was made available for free download from the game's official website. "Back Round" was released on the deluxe edition of Cosmic Egg on 23 October.
Style and reception
With regards to the style of the new song, music magazine BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
described "Back Round" as "swimming in chunky guitar licks and drum fills." Rinjo Njori of Earvolution.com likened the song to the band's older material, holding up well next to "Woman
Woman (Wolfmother song)
"Woman" is a song by Australian hard rock band Wolfmother, featured on their 2005 debut studio album Wolfmother. It was released as the band's fourth single in Australia on 17 June 2006, and later in the United Kingdom on 17 July...
", and compared it to Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
and Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
. Independent music journalism
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
website Altsounds.com introduced the song as a "rollicking behemoth of timeless rock n roll," going on to praise it as "A liberating avalanche of skull-crushing drums and primal riffing [...] a joyous evolution for the Australian band," while American newspaper The Herald
The Herald (Everett)
The Herald is a newspaper based in Everett, Washington. It is owned by The Washington Post Company. The paper serves as a major news source for residents of Snohomish County.-History:...
was equally optimistic, suggesting that "The new lineup sounds ready to deliver the goods based on "Back Round"." Music magazine Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
reported that the song is one of Stockdale's favourite Wolfmother songs. Though already released for free, the track was a minor commercial success, charting at number 100 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
.
Music video
A music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Back Round" was recorded on 24 July 2009. Stockdale uploaded two stills from the videoshoot onto his Twitter page, confirming that the "Clip will be out soon!" As of the release of Cosmic Egg, however, a music video has still not been released; the release of videos for subsequent singles "New Moon Rising
New Moon Rising (song)
"New Moon Rising" is a song by Australian hard rock band Wolfmother. It was released on their second studio album Cosmic Egg, released in 2009. The song shares its name with an Australian concert tour by the band, the New Moon Rising Tour, and was released as the lead single from the album on 25...
", "White Feather
White Feather
White Hair is the English name of several Osage Indian leaders in the eighteenth and nineteenth century.-White Hair I:The first White Hair, Paw-Hiu-Skah, Pahuska, or Pawhuska, was born about 1763 and died about 1809. The town of Pawhuska, Oklahoma is named for him. He was the chief of the...
" and "Far Away
Far Away (Wolfmother song)
"Far Away" is a song by Australian hard rock band Wolfmother, featured on their 2009 second studio album Cosmic Egg. Written by vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, the song was released as the fourth single from the album on 3 June 2010, backed with a live cover version of the Kate Bush song...
" suggests that the idea has been set aside.
Personnel
Musicians- Andrew StockdaleAndrew StockdaleAndrew James Stockdale is an Australian hard rock musician, he is the lead singer, lead guitarist and the only mainstay member of the rock band, Wolfmother which formed in 2000. In 2007, alongside his Wolfmother band mates, he won 'Songwriter of the Year' at the APRA Awards...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Dave AtkinsDave AtkinsDave "Acosta" Atkins is an Australian drummer, guitarist, bass player, producer, engineer & co-founder and Director Of Hydrofunk Records from Brisbane, Queensland. He is currently performing with hip hop band Resin Dogs...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Ben Tolliday – additional bass, engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
assistance
Additional personnel
- Alan MoulderAlan MoulderAlan Moulder is one of Britain's premier alternative rock record producers. He has worked with such artists as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Elastica, Gary Numan, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Curve, Ride, Lush and My Bloody Valentine, Lostprophets, Shihad, Ivyrise and Placebo, as well as with many American...
– mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Justin Tresidder – engineering
- Joe Malone – technical assistance