The lineup for Riot Fest will be announced tomorrow at 10am, but it's a safe bet that QotSA will be one of the headliners this year.
Stupid sexy Riot Fest. I didn’t want to go to a fest this year. Riot Fest, why must you bless us with one of the best lineups I’ve ever seen?
So I finally finished the rest of Queens discography (Not counting the b-sides), and what a ride! I finished out with... Like Clockwork, followed by the album a lot of fans seem to dislike, which is obviously Villains.
... Like Clockwork: 9/10
This album definitely sticks out in their discography as a triumph, but in its own right. There is something that seperates itself from the rest of the bunch, and you can hear in the music itself, why it was approached the way it was. The sprinkled on, inspiration from the reissue of the Self-titled to get this album off the ground, makes sense to me. Sometimes, starting from where you began, can shake the barell of ideas in your head, and wiggle something loose that you never thought would be there. Out came "... Like Clockwork."
The guest appearances on this one seemed more contained, musically, with bringing back long time friend, and former band members in Nick Oliveri, and Mark Lanegan (RIP ). They only did backing vocals for "If I Had A Tail" which is unironically one of the best tracks on the album. Grohl returns, Reznor adds some input, along with Elton John. While these appearances can be a "Blink, and you'll miss it" for casual listeners, it really is cool to decipher what they're doing in the respective songs they're featuring in.
Every track here is treated with kitten gloves, really showcasing what Homme had in mind for this masterful release. The album really doesn't flow all that well if you cherry pick songs from the track list, with each song feeling like it is contained in its own atmosphere, but somehow, someway, when you listen in its entirety... It works like... Clockwork . There are some points during the album where it can drag, but for me personally, I need to kick back, throw on some shades, and soak in every minute the album has to offer. It really feels like a send-off album, if Queens Of The Stone Age were going to call it quits, so the fascinating allure of this band keeps on chugging along.
If we were on an alternate timeline, this would be the bands best album. While I can understand why a lot of fans put this album at the pinnacle of their discography, I just cannot put it over Songs For The Deaf, nor their best effort in my opinion, Lullabies To Paralyze. Those albums are damn near perfect, and Queens at their absolute best.
Faves:
Keep Your Eyes Peeled
The Vampyre of Time and Memory
If I Had a Tail
My God Is the Sun
Smooth Sailing
Villains: 8.5/10
Ok...so here we are with the most controversial album of the bands entire discography, and rightfully so. Right off the bat, going with Mark Ronson as a producer was a very oddball choice for Homme to go with, with his pop music background, and that does show here without a doubt.
What is so weird about this album is, the first 3 tracks are arguably the bands lowest point, even if I find "Feet Don't Fail me", and "The Way You Used To Do." very fun, I have no reason to ever revisit them again. "Domesticated Animals" is possibly their worst song to date; damn is it rough, and it makes the beginning of the album DRAG. The album really doesn't kick off until after "Fortress", which is a beautiful song, but where it all comes together is when "Head Like A Haunted House" comes rolling in, with heavy, kick-ass bass, and thundering drums and guitar. This song exploded into my list of all time favorite songs from the band, and sounds like what the first two tracks should have embodied, execution wise. It sounds as if Ronson had a lot of input for the first 4 tracks, and Homme just said "Fuck it, I'm taking over from here."
The first half of the album, next to the second half are night and day, with the second half being the saving grace. I find myself revisiting the last 5 tracks on Villains over and over as of recent, even more so than Clockwork, and I'm sure I'm in the minority with that take lol. "The Evil Has Landed" is so fucking good, with an awesome, balls-to-the-wall outro, leading into another one of Queens best tracks, "Villains of Circumstance." That track is gorgeous, and I adore the chorus and the little things going on in the background.
Villains is such an anomaly of an album, but I feel it gets lost in the mix, along with Lullabies which nobody seems to ever speak on, which is a tad odd since that album in my opinion, really showcases what the band is made of, and what they're all about. Villains sounds like the band was able to breathe a little bit, and having a lot of fun that even Era Vulgaris put off in energy. The first album with no guest appearances, the same line up from Like Clockwork, with the addition of Jon Theodore helming full drum responsibility is refreshing to hear. If the album started as strong as it finishes, I would gladly put this over Like Clockwork.
Faves:
Head Like A Haunted House
Un-Reborn Again
Hideaway
The Evil Has Landed
Villains Of Circumstance
So, after hearing almost everything Queens Of The Stone Age has to offer, they are definitely one of my favorite bands to date. Not only are they a staple in modern rock, they subtly just keep pumping out quality music. I gave Emotional Sickness another go, and it still remains as just a by the numbers QOTSA track. But I will hold off completely counting it out, since it IS track 9 off the new album. So maybe, a more cohesive listen will change that thought.
Final rankings:
Lullabies to Paralyze - 10/10
Songs For the Deaf - 9/10
...Like Clockwork - 9/10
Villains - 8.5/10
Self-titled - 7/10
Rated R - 6/10
Era Vulgaris - 5/10
Cheers, y'all!
Last edited by Self.Destructive.Pattern; 05-17-2023 at 10:04 PM.
i really gotta dig back into the catalog. Clockwork and Villains are the only two I spin anymore but you guys are getting me motivated to revisit.
Sick tune, can't wait to hear the whole thing!
Carnavoyeur
It seems that a vinyl rip of 'Negative Space' is out there but the thread on r/qotsa was deleted.
I was listening to all the old albums this past weekend, and I honestly don't think they have a single bad song.
Absolutely love that new song. Hope the leak appears somewhere where it can be found by people who are looking for it or may be able to describe such a thing to others.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Negative Space - Shitty Quality rip (with a few seconds of Time & Space at the end)
Jealous of anyone who is going to Margate or Glastonbury
Official YT link
there's also a lyric video if you want to read along.
In my opinion, with their new mixer since Like Clockwork, their music feels kind of shallow and doesn't have that stoner rock punch with those heavy basslines that I like about them. Do you know what I mean. I have the same feeling with those new songs
I was browsing around and found this again so sharing hereDownload linkQUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
SONGS FOR THE DEAF (2002)
"Finally Radio Free - DJ Skits removed"
00 The Real Song For The Deaf
01 You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire
02 No One Knows
03 First It Giveth
04 A Song For The Dead
05 The Sky Is Fallin'
06 Six Shooter
07 Hangin' Tree
08 Go With The Flow
09 Gonna Leave You
10 Do It Again
11 God Is In The Radio
12 Another Love Song
13 A Song For The Deaf
14 Hidden Track
15 Mosquito Song
While amusing at first, over the years the radio skits that pepper QOTSA's classic album 'Songs For The Deaf' have become increasing annoying, getting in the way of an overwise enjoyable listening experience. I need the songs, not a saga.
So I decided to take the time to carefully remove the skits, patching up the few song intros and outros that they (slightly)
overlapped, using other sources available:
Millionaire - 'WWF Tough Enough 2' compilation
No One Knows - 'Sample This School Boy' promo
First It Giveth - CD single
Hangin' Tree - leaked demo version (mastered by thir13en)
Go With The Flow - CD single
Do It Again - leaked demo version (mastered by thir13en)
Another Love Song - leaked demo version (mastered by thir13en)
Song for The Deaf - leaked demo version (mastered by thir13en)
Care was taken to ensure that edits are audibly invisible, and that the new gap transitions between songs are suitable.
I'd be surprised if this hasn't been done in some form by someone somewhere before, but as far as I know this is
the first time such a version of the album has been distributed over the interweb.
Given the difficulty in playing and ripping the pre-gap track 'The Real Song For The Deaf', I've included it here as a stand alone track for anyone interested, along with the 'Hidden Track' (the rhymthic laughing version of 'Feel Good Hit') which you may or may not want to include in this skit-free version of the album (I prefer not, personally).
This was a very satisfying project to work on, so I hope you enjoy the radio-free listen as well.
Compiled by ridleybradout, June 2013.
SOURCE: Original CDs > FLAC > WAV > edits made in Nero Wave Editor > WAV > FLAC > TLH to fix SBE > FLAC
The old desert stoner sound is largely gone. "The Evil Has Landed" off Villains felt like a throwback to earlier QOTSA, but the last two albums have a particular sound to them that's hard to really peg. Lots of harmonic guitar work, less chonky riffing, and 70s elements like spring reverb and Moog leads. One of the things I find interesting is that there are more elements to the mix, and the compositions are more complex, but it somehow feels more lean, skeletal.
Funny you should mention that, because that song has always given me a Them Crooked Vultures vibe so hard that I can't help but think it was either an unfinished leftover from that album, or something he might have been tossing around for a follow-up, but, when he realized it wasn't going to happen anytime soon, he just worked it into a QOTSA song.
That's sorta what has happened. There's somewhere a video of JHo explaining that he had Evil main riff written years ago, and that he only just now found a way to make a song around it. I think it was some sort of song-by-song commentary on youtube from when the album was fresh.
Looks like recent social media posts are confirming that the new album is the final album of a trilogy. I think it had been suggested before too, but I’ve only just seen it myself.
I had no idea Villains was meant to be in some way linked to …Like Clockwork
So is the order meant to be Times New Roman… Villains …Like Clockwork?
Last edited by firewlker; 06-04-2023 at 09:28 PM.
Their last two albums certainly share a vibe, the new single shares it. Really hard to describe, too. But the last two albums were big growers on me, they took a minute to "click" so to speak. Which is a rewarding feeling, since so many albums have this catchy immediacy that over time, end up sounding very dated. Quite excited for this new album.