| Sept. 2002 - Bust Magazine: Songs for the Deaf Review
|
|
by Molly Simms |
I could write a book trying to explain what's so great about Queens of the Stone Age. Whether you fell for their hit single two years ago, "The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret," or if you just dismissed them as a strangely compelling Ozzfest band, you'll likely be sucked in by this most recent release. And though Songs for the Deaf is thick and heavy as a brick through plate-glass, it's not just for your green-haired younger brother.
The boys in the band would likely want to beat me up for saying this, but there's something T-Rexian in their melodic, crunchy guitars and wall-of-sound rock. With their three lead singers, Josh Homme (the smooth guy), Nick Oliveri (the screamer), and Mark Lanegan (the crooner), and of course Dave Grohl on drums, there's something for everyone on here. Songs like "No One Knows" dropped my jaw to the floor, and the album's format (laid out as if you're flipping from dial to dial on a car radio) hints at QOTSA's cleverness. This is orchestral hedonism at its very best, with the whining guitars and frontmen that make rock so compelling in the first place. The Queens' earlier releases have been worshipped by both critics and fans alike, and there doesn't seem to be an end to the wave they're riding. Those Joni Mitchell albums you've been wearing to pieces? Give them a rest. Come to the sound of what boys are.
Huge thanks to Angel L. Venable for typing this up!
go back
|
|
|
