If you're like me, you've spent a little bit of time wondering what happened to Scott Weiland's voice after Stone Temple Pilots released Purple. The attitude remained, but some of the muscle, some of his vocal essence, had gone. I always chalked it up to drugs (pay attention kids) but I'm working on a new theory now: Elvar from Red Motor Dog, in some B-movie-inspired dark ritual, took some of that gravel-and-balls texture and made it his own. Red Motor Dog is from Iceland. They do things like that there.

A surprisingly refreshing drive down a well-worn road, Red Motor Dog's EP is a great addition to the library of anyone who still pulls out early STP, Foo Fighters, and Bush records and cranks them to 11. I can't be the only one who still does that.

Key tracks:

Blast-Off (

Norman Cranck (

The Desert Riders (

This is what is what real Rock sounds like. Listen." [REC by dodga]

Note: the sniff/hock at the beginning of Wake Up! is also what real Rock sounds like. But it's kinda gross.