JennJoy's Full Review: Songs For the Deaf [PA] by Queens Of The Stone Age
I avoided all the hype around Queens of the Stone Age as long as possible, mainly because I'm generally not all that interested in what MTV or the radio tells people is "hot" at the moment. When I heard that Mark Lanegan was singing on "Songs for the Deaf" my interest was piqued, but when I found out Dean Ween made a guest appearance on the album I figured I’d give it a shot. Since Ween is a favorite band of mine, I figured this album must be good if Dean was making an appearance. Plus, I was able to get a copy of "Songs for the Deaf" for free so I justified owning the album by not spending any money.
The first time I listened to the album I was severely put off by the stupid "radio" interludes between some songs. I absolutely can’t stand skits between songs, no matter which artist it is, and this was enough to make me lose "Songs for the Deaf" in a pile of CD's for a while. When it finally resurfaced and I gave it another chance, I was immediately taken with what I heard. This isn't the type of music that generally garners a mainstream audience; hence, it usually falls on "deaf ears".
If you can get past the lame attempt at a concept album with the "skits" you’ll find some serious rock n’ roll crafted by core members Josh Homme (guitar/vocals) and Nick Oliveri (bass) – both of stoner rock legends Kyuss – with Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees) and Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters/Nirvana) along for the ride, plus a bevy of other musicians thrown in just for fun. The result of having so many cooks in the pot is a wonderful variety of music that seems anchored by the members shared experiences and love of heavy music.
The opening track, "You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire" sets the basic tone for the rest of the album, with it’s chugging guitar and deep bass line coupled with Homme's metal god vocals. The music smacks you in the face and leaves you woozy with lyrics like, I'll be a massive conquistador. Gimme soul or show me the door. Most of the album’s tracks follow in this vein of crushing sound, like "Song for the Dead" and "Hanging Tree," which both feature Lanegan’s otherworldly vocals, and the explosive "First It Giveth" where Grohl’s drumming really shines.
The Queens also throw in more approachable (i.e. radio friendly) gems like the upbeat "No One Knows," "Go With the Flow," and "The Sky is Fallin," which definitely reminds me of Alice in Chains. There is also the lovely "hidden" track "Mosquito Song" (though listing it in the track list as hidden doesn't really hide it too well), which takes a big turn away from the rest of the album with its minimalist acoustic guitar intro and simple vocals.
I've heard some complaints that this album is repetitive, but I find it to be anything but. Although everything you'll find here falls under the rock umbrella in some way, I think these guys have infuses a lot of fresh ideas and styles into their music and the rotating membership can't hurt this at all. The use of different vocalists alone has been enough to keep me interested in "Songs for the Deaf" and I really feel these guys have pulled together to craft an all-around wonderful album, which doesn't seem to happen too much anymore in the world of rock music.
I realize the Queens of the Stone Age have clearly tried to make their music accessible to larger audiences and that’s cool. They’ve taken stoner rock (and with that, grunge too) and formed it into something a bit more easy to swallow by softening the vocals, cleaning up the guitar, and throwing in some extra melody. If you find you’ve enjoyed “Songs for the Deaf” you may just enjoy Sixty Watt Shaman, Dixie Witch and Spirit Caravan.
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