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One could write entire pages of praise for that small, great phenomenon that is Joshua Homme, the deus ex-machina of the (now sacred!) monster "Queens Of The Stone Age". This gentleman, with his refined and measured voice and his distorted riffs, has given new splendor to a niche genre like stoner rock, adding class and making it accessible to everyone. Most importantly, he has made it so appealing and appreciated that he's gained the favor of many artists even distant from the Stoner planet, who line up to collaborate with such a genius.
What is the secret of such success? It's the combination of the exotic "Kyuss" dish with a whole series of flavorful and properly measured ingredients that have produced a dish that is hardly replicable. The clear grunge and punk influences, and a melodic vein capable of catchy choruses even for the most refined tastes, unthinkable in a Kyuss format. And then, I will never stop saying it, the secret ingredient, that great touch of class that comes from Homme's voice: always composed, dramatic yet never plaintive, distant but never alien, undoubtedly sensual and evocative.
If the debut of the Queens is stunning (with the self-titled "Queens Of The Stone Age", 1998), this "R" (2000) is nothing short of a revelation. It surprises with its ability to break the rhythm between one track and another, it excites with the intensity of the heavier songs and the pleasantness of the more listenable ones. The dances open right with the obsessive "Feel Good Hit Of The Summer", where the mix of drugs that inspire Josh and company is laid out (for fans of the genre in sequence: nicotine, valium, vicodin, marijuana, ecstasy, and alcohol, beyond the inevitable cocaine). And it's interesting to note that it closes with the horns in "I Think I Lost My Headache" (and it's understandable to have had a bit of a headache thinking back to how the album opened!).
Between the initial drug abuse and the final return to sanity of our heroes, lies the listener's trip. It goes from the current single "The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret", much appreciated even by MTV (don't be prejudiced because of this!), characterized by a slow and charming melody (with "Leg Of Lamb" its natural continuation) to the amusing power-pop "Auto Pilot", an aerial trip with the autopilot turned on. But above all, the height of dissonance is reached in "Better Living Through Chemistry" (a highly explicit title): drums (bongos!?) in the background, maximally distorted guitar, ethereal Homme, the pure hallucination atmosphere! The monsters in the parasol later celebrated in the urgent "Monsters In The Parasol" can only be the fruits of a hallucination...
There is also room for the punk soul outburst of the band, Nick Oliveri, with "Quick And To The Pointless", which (who knows why!?) also uses German, and "Tension Head", a neurotic declaration of depravity (could it be the aforementioned cocktail of drugs?!?). An unsuspected travel companion is friend Mark Lanegan, who drops by (or is he also the product of a hallucination?!?) in the gentle "In The Fade" (and not only), a general rehearsal for "Songs For The Deaf", which fades in the end with the obsessive opening chant of the album. Just before recovering from the headache, a bit of "relief": the distortions quiet down and there is an interlude of acoustic guitar, drum, and piano titled "Lightning Song".
An album that combines sophistication with a lack of pretentiousness, it's enjoyable without tiring, flowing rapidly: a small hallucinogenic masterpiece!
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
04 Auto Pilot (04:01)
Saw you down there on the marble slab
The best trip that I've ever had
High up in a jet plane, pass it around
My drink's on empty, need another round
I wanna fly, wanna ride with you
Is this the best that you can do?
I wanna fly, wanna ride with you
High up in a jet plane with you
When we arrive in the middle of nowhere
Don't act like you know, I been here so many times
I never seen you before
But now that I have, I don't wanna see you no more
High up in a jet plane with you
High up in a jet plane with you
I wanna fly, wanna ride with you
Is this the best that you can do?
I wanna fly, wanna ride with you
High up in a jet plane with you
Ahh, auto pilot no control
Ahh, ahh
Ahh, auto pilot no control
Ahh, ahh
High up in a jet plane with you
High up in a jet plane with you
I wanna fly, wanna ride with you
Is this the best that you can do?
I wanna fly, wanna ride with you
High up in a jet plane with you
06 Monsters in the Parasol (03:27)
The walls are closing in again, oh well
The walls are closing in again, oh well
I seen some thing I thought I never saw
Covered in hair
Paul's dad is warped and bubbling, oh well
Paul's dad is warped and bubbling, oh well
And my mind is up here on another wave
Covered in hair
She won't grow, she won't grow
She won't grow, she won't grow
She won't grow, she won't grow
She won't grow
You've got a monster in your parasol
You've got a monster in your parasol
You've got a monster in your parasol
You've got a monster in your parasol
Paul's sister is an alien, oh well
Paul's sister is an alien, oh well
I seen some things I thought I never saw
Covered in hair
She won't grow, she won't grow
She won't grow, she won't grow
She won't grow, she won't grow
She won't grow
You've got a monster in your parasol
You've got a monster in your parasol
You've got a monster in your parasol
You've got a monster in your parasol
In your parasol
In your parasol
In your parasol
07 Quick and to the Pointless (01:42)
''[Spoken]''
I don't even know what I'm doing here
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Little girl walkin down the street
Godverdomme, you gotta be with me
Well I know, you know
Everybody, everyone, let's go
Oh, baby, baby, you're so sweet
Ah, ah, wooo
Het leven is hard, de mensen worden bang
I'm so old, you're so young
I know, you know
Everybody, everyone, let's go
Oh, baby, baby, you're so sweet
Goddamn, ah, ah, whoa
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Ik denk van ja, maar nee
Little girl, listen what I say
You know, I know
Everybody, everyone, let's go
Oh, baby, baby, you're so sweet
Whoooo
Ah, baby, baby, you're so sweet
Goddamn, ah, ah, whoa!
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