Queens of the Stone Age: Songs For The Deaf

It was like a mini revelation to me, every album I had before this was just a collection of songs. But this was more than a simple album, this was like listening in on someone elses life for an hour, listening in on a car trip where the driver is trying to find something decent to listen to on a radio full of trash, I finally understood the idea behind the words "concept album".

The first sound that greets you when the album begins is literally someone getting in to their car and putting on the radio, K.L.O.N. (clone) radio fires up and takes a little dig at the state of popular radio today ("we play the songs that sound more like everyone else, than anyone else") and then the opening drum and guitar riff to "You Think I Ain't Worth..." begin, to this day I still feel the slight thrills of excitement when that guitar riff sounds off.... The song "drops" in with a kick that would scare a 15 ton mega elephant and we're off!

The first three songs on the album all have the pace and drive to keep you on the edge of your audio seat, with even the sedate, bass only, middle eight section in No One Knows keeping an air of mystery and foreboding. The "radio breaks" in between each song add a little comedy to the whole affair, and help keep the theme of the album running.

Track 4 - A Song for the Dead has to be my favorite on the album, mainly for the introduction to the song. Drum introductions have always excited me, and this is no exception, Dave Grohl (of Foo Fighters fame) manages to manipulate his instrument to make sounds that, when I listen with my eyes closed, conjure up images of someone trying to start their car on a cold and misty morning. Upon failing to fire up on the first few attempts more gas is shot to the engine and, with a sudden kick, BAM its running, a full on, 6 cylinder Chevvy engine thats been modified to sound like the grumbling angry growls of satan the morning after the night before. When I say this song moves, its an understatement.

Continuing along, the album calms down slightly, with the relative relaxation that is the introduction to The Sky is Fallin' but its all a big trick and we're soon cookin' with gas again with the pure raw power that is Six Shooter. We continue along this vein, songs beating your ears senseless with pounding guitar riffs, and clever off tempo drum fills. All the while with the "radio segments" to complete the gaps between the songs. There's even a live version of Rated R track "The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret" to keep you on your toes.

There is nothing that this album provides that I dont like, it hits just about every base that I look for in good music. Do I still listen to it to this day? Yes, yes I do, it sits pride of place in the glove box of my car, and is put on whenever, on a long journey, the tiredness of driving sets in, as a pick me up I think it does its job better than the strongest coffee a motor way Starbucks can offer.

Queens previous and subsequent outings cannot (in my opinion) match up to Songs, I'm not sure if it was the presence of Dave Grohl on drums holding everything together, or whether Homme and Oliveri had just taken the ideal amount of drugs this time. Whatever it is - Songs for the Deaf is one of those albums that will be as important to me in 30 years, as it was 5 years ago when I first discovered it.

Highly recommended to fans of stoner/desert rock and anyone who enjoys a good sound track to listen to while driving.

Stretch

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Line-up:

Josh Homme - Vocals, Guitar
Nick Oliveri - Vocals, Bass
Mark Lanegan - Vocals
Dave Grohl - Drums

Producers: Josh Homme, Eric Valentine and Adam Kasper
Mixing by: Adam Kasper at Conway Recording Studio
Mastering: Brian Gardner at Bernie Grundman Mastering