Love Peace & F**k

The first Brain Donor album brings Julian Cope’s Stooges obsession into clear focus. He manages the near impossible, which is to emulate Iggy Pop’s most charismatic moves without coming off like a mere copy. Instead, Cope innovates his own grooves that retain the firepower of the Stooges’ courageous rock noise by meshing them with his own psychedelic shadows. “She Saw Me Coming” begins with an inspired guitar riff that sets up the rhythm section in perfect aggression. “Pagan Dawn” boogies with a mock falsetto that turns the New York Dolls into a southern rock stew. “Hairy Music” works out its riff with a street-walking groove. It’s not the 1970s, but it’s sure not the sound most bands are achieving in the new millennium either. The sound is so solid and elemental it’s a wonder that it’s so difficult for others to effectively simulate. But that’s always been Cope’s peculiar talent — to be both a studious fan of the music and a genuine creator on his own terms.