When The Stooges reformed in 2003 after a 29 year hiatus, no one really expected them to be around for too long. Like alt-rock luminaries The Pixies, The MC5 and Dinosaur Jr. - just a few amongst a flurry of bands who have reformed over the past few years - the Iggy Pop-led band initially reformed for a one-off gig (at that year's Coachella festival). Pop's solo album of the same year, (Skull Ring) saw the legend backed by his old cohorts on a number of tracks, and although it failed to set the world alight, it at least served the purpose of reigniting old partnerships. Now back with an album of new material, The Weirdness doesn't see the Stooges try to reinvent the genre they had a hand in sculpting; unlike old albums The Stooges and Fun House, it simply tends the furrow that they were significant in ploughing all those years ago. That's not to say that it's a bad album - in fact, it's quite enjoyable in parts - but when a band as distinguished as The Stooges convene, you'd expect something perhaps a little.. punchier. Steve Albini's trademark 'live take' production is certainly apparent here, as most tracks have an exposed feel to them - but again, that's no bad thing. Opening with riff-heavy rock 'n' roll scuffle Trollin', The Weirdness doesn't really deviate in style or tempo throughout. ATM is a straightforward, uptempo punky track that sounds similar to early Undertones, as is the repetitive My Idea of Fun; the title track, however, is a woozy change of pace that sees Pop crow like a deep-voiced Bowie, and both succeeding tracks - Free and Funky, and Greedy Awful People - hark backs to the '60s pop swing/surf rock that they're famed for. It's hard to define an album as a 'return to form' when its predecessor came thirty-four years earlier, and its creators, one of the most famous American bands ever - but even if Raw Power had been released last year, this would be a relatively enjoyable, but dishearteningly underwhelming offering.
