Queens of the Stone Age - Villains - 2017

I just got around to Dave Catching's solo album that came out last month and it's really impressive. The conceit being that each of the songs is a different band, Desert Session-ish. Plenty of old Queens dudes like Lanegan, Gene Troutman, Joey Castillo.

That sounds great!

I love the desert sessions w PJ

No PJ this time i think, but Johnette Napolitano? Also women who I don't know: Serrina Simms (from one of Troy Van Leeuwen's aside projects - he's also in the mix here) and Liela Moss.

Here's the full list of personnel. Guess this has been in the can for a few years!

http://www.thefade.net/news/dave-catching-teases-new-album-full-of-desert-rock-superstars/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exa0CzlCb3Y

this is the stuff

I've listened to this a few times. At first it came off as too Zep-y for me, but I'm betting that it will open up for me the more I listen, or in the full context of the album.

That is more like it

right on

So cheap and small sounding, Ronson is such a bad fit

both tracks remind me of Era Vulgaris

this song shreds. Kinda can do without the last minute of it but those are some classic QOTSA riffs and jams all the way up to that point.

Listened to the full album a couple of times. Opening track "Feel Don't Fail Me" has another killer riff but the rest of the record is unremarkable. Was hoping for an album full of the first two releases going back and forth with good rawkin' flow but alas.

There's these macabre synth pads that show up from time-to-time on tracks that sound like they were listening to The Damned's 'Phantasmagoria' or something. In the context of QOTSA they just sound really out of place.

There were a few synths on the last record and I think Josh has been getting more into them. He played a few John Carpenter songs on the Alligator Hour, for example, and uswd Wendy Carlos' Clockwork Orange theme as their entrance music at one of their huge shows (Rock In Rio).

I haven't listened to the leak yet. I've heard there are watermarks and lower sound quality etc. I'm still keeping high hopes for the record though.

The first video was released this week as an Apple Music exclusive, but someone has it up on Streamable at the moment. It's a fun time.

https://streamable.com/7owib

I had to remind myself they're on Matador now, and ask the question once again that was posed on the Arcade Fire thread: what's the advantage to being on a major vs. an upper-tier indie?

I can't really imagine there is any advantage at this point

this is the distillation of their robot rock. saying it's "cheap" is part of the intent. this album kills

the synths are so lowly pronounced that it's not worth focusing on

I had to remind myself they're on Matador now, and ask the question once again that was posed on the Arcade Fire thread: what's the advantage to being on a major vs. an upper-tier indie?

Right, but here they are on an indie, with a glossy video and an album produced by Mark Ronson. What more could a major (which they were on before!) really give them at this point?

Well, Matador is a bit of an outlier in the indie world having been infused with operational knowledge and cash from Atlantic and Capitol during the 90's. Arguably they're an indie that operates like a major but with very good taste, which is about as good as you could hope for in the collision between business and art.

This said, my assumption is that Queens would be on the majors without any hesitation if they could be but the Queens brand isn't as strong as it once was.

I don't feel like doing the research to prove it lol but I'm willing to bet they sell more records and are a bigger concert draw than a decent number of current major label bands are.

Like Clockwork (their first for Matador) was also their first #1 album.

x-post

True, but that also likely coincided with a weak week for new releases. The number of records you need to sell these days to debut at #1, if you're not competing with a blockbuster release, is woefully low. I believe the QOTSA #1 was something like 40k at most.

With majors these days is really just a matter of opportunity cost. Yeah, you could invest cash and operational attention into Queens who clearly can be part of the key roster on either of the big stages at Coachella but are you going to do that when you've got Beyonce, Gaga, and Kanye capable of millions of sold instead of thousands? Hell no.

I dunno. Feels like your logic is a bit fallacious in the age of streaming, not to mention the age of Arcade Fire, Grizzly Bear, etc being on majors. I wouldn't be surprised if Homme et al straight-up didn't want to work with a major (and they don't need to, either).

I do wonder if this one will debut at No. 1 as well. Now that streaming (which gives huge boosts to hip-hop and R&B artists and does bupkis for pop and rock) in the picture I could see it topping the sales chart but not the overall Billboard 200, a la the Stone Sour record from a few weeks ago.

There's some T Rex/Neil Young influences on this record.

this shit starts out so funky

this album rocks

I'm trying to get the hang of it. There are great moments for sure, but I haven't come around on the slower/mid-tempoed stuff yet. I'm kinda withholding my reactions though until I give it a few more chances.

The first track is nuts, that's for sure.

"the evil has landed" is still my fav track

from the singles i imagined this record would be groovy but potentially depthless, but idk, the more mid-tempo stuff ("fortress" and "domesticated animals" especially) is buoyed by some of homme's best melodies imo

the last track is maybe my favorite qotsa song ever????

I just listened to that one again over lunch! I had kinda tuned out by that point when I gave the album a spin this morning on the way in. It's definitely one of the better songs. Might be my way in.

not sure about this one tbh

Up to no. 3 'Domesticated Animals" and I know that I'll be buying it.

The only remotely weak record Homme/Queens has made is Lullabies. And yeah, this single is pretty weak, poorest single since "little Sister."

Lullabies is great. It's a sprawling mess in the best way

I like Lullabies a lot. It has 4 or 5 of their very best tunes and the production is appealingly weird.

i am p much exactly with vm, lullabies only one that's not good/great, but ime it was/remains v popular

hmmph…

I would like it if Crooked Vultures came back… gives me my JPJ fix and I get to enjoy Grohl playing drums and not being pass/ag about music that ain't punk rock or butt rock…

xxxp are you kidding? that would be their high water mark imo

lucky bastards @ reading festival.

surprise guests.

1. Rated r (one of my favorite records ever made) 2. S/t, 3. Era Vulgaris, 4. Them crooked Vultures (totally think this record belongs in any such ranking) 4. Songs… 7. Lullabies

haven't listened to Clockwork and Villains enuff, but know that they're better than

…Lullabies…

the Vultures record drags like hell imho

These guys have 4 million Spotify listeners. That's like half of led zep.

i really love the single in the context of the album

I'm gonna be the asshole that says they are a great band but also thinks the original s/t is still the best

That's a bunch of bullshit. The video clearly shows him kicking exactly one thing - the photographer and her camera.

Co-co-co-co-co-cocaine...

Matika7He wants to make it with chu -5 points 1 hour ago
I think its keeping up with the tradition of Iggy pop, freaking out squares. Nothing more, nothing less. Everything is so PC nowadays and everyone's got their own little opinion about everything. Rock should be dangerous, insulting, in your face, should make you feel uncomfortable from time to time.

So this poster's saying he/she should be kicked in the face?

I'd hoped eagles of death metal was his trash bin for throwing away these impulses while keeping QotSA actually good

he's been on a trajectory of being Dave Grohl for people who have heard of Jesus Lizard for a minute

well the album title is fitting now congrats Josh

nicotine / valium / vicodin / marijuana / ecstasy / alcohol can take a toll

He's posted an apology video to FB now as well.

I have a strong feeling that in addition to any charges filed (which should happen), we'll be hearing about a rehab trip in the coming days.

kevin gates went to jail for this

queens + ELP mashup

https://totom.bandcamp.com/album/el-q

This works really well - never would have considered it. Thanks for sharing.

ok, so not 70s ELP.
was wondering how that was going to work.

This is great. The version of way u do rips
Also good choice of deep cuts

brad might be right, I underrated this album. feels like a fully blossomed era vulgaris

It's a very good album

This is so amazing I can’t believe the whole world doesn’t love it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JvOfnYZvNU

Just a guess but maybe the whole world doesn't yet love it because "The uploader has not made this video available in your country".

Oh god damn.

A new song - Emotion Sickness - has leaked* and is a fun, glammy stomp. I haven't listened closely to the lyrics, which were the weakest part of Villians for me. The new album will be called In New Roman Times, which makes me want to gag.

*will be released Thursday.

Sorry, the album will be called In Times New Roman. You can see how I got mixed up though.

The interweaving guitar parts on the chorus remind me of Built To Spill. I'm kinda flipping out about it.