Queens of the Stone Age
"Lullabies to Paralyze"
(Interscope)
Sounds like: Whatever is supposed to tide us over till the next Eagles of Death Metal album comes out.
B-
Dave Grohl is not on this album. Stop asking. He was never in Queens of the Stone Age in the first place. Following "Songs for the Deaf," co-founder/naked bass player Nick Oliveri was kicked out of the band under the guise of being "problematic." Sideline singer Mark Lanegan also left the band to further pursue his ongoing solo career. That leaves Josh Homme at the helm, Joey Castillo (ex-Danzig) on drums and Troy Van Leeuwen (ex-A Perfect Circle) plucking anything with a string.
If people weren't already eagerly awaiting the new Queens of the Stone Age record following the rock masterpiece "Songs for the Deaf," they bit their fingernails to the quick questioning Homme's skills at pushing on sans Oliveri. While "Lullabies" has moments of rock tighter then a wired-shut jaw, and intermixed low cracks and hums that tickle the ear, it falls short overall. Something is missing.
Queens of the Stone Age was never meant to be a one-man show where one theme radiated. The band loses its whiskey-stained breath and studded bracelets with Lanegan and Oliveri's absence. Even though Lanegan opens the album, it's just a scratchy tease.
Speaking of teases, Homme has landed his second strike for misuse of guests on an album. First heard on "Rated R," with metal god Rob Halford's screams being lost among the 10 other singers on "Feel Good Hit of the Summer," Homme follows up by drowning out gal pal Brody Dalle (of the Distillers) and Shirley Manson (of Garbage). And for all the press about Billy Gibbons (of ZZ Top) gracing his guitar presence on "Lullabies," how about writing a better song than the trite "Burn the Witch," which sounds like it was written by a kid who just learned his first blues riff on guitar.
The single "Little Sister" obviously rocks. See also "Medication," "Everyone Knows You're Insane" and "Someone's in the Wolf." The rest of the album spirals off into handclaps and sloppy, creepy sex jigs (and not in the good way). The Queens always snatch a song from their never-ending circus of a side-project, the "Desert Sessions." The original version wasn't that great, so turning it into a sing-along and amplifying it doesn't necessarily help.
With all this in mind, a word of caution is needed. Queens of the Stone Age albums aren't to be understood in just a few sittings. They usually do not make full sense until they are left to grab your ear from the background as you read the paper. "Lullabies" may seem like more B-grade work continued from the ninth and 10th "Desert Sessions," but don't worry, the new Eagles of Death Metal record, "Death By Sexy," is on the horizon. May our butts shake in anticipation?
