I'm sorry, but I just can't help but proselytize my favorite artists. I just can't

So here it is folks:

Queens of the Stone Age

I really hope these guys catch on. I don't think they will, for various reasons, but they're still excellent musicians, and their songs just kick ass.

The reason for bringing them up is that their new album, Songs for the Deaf, just came out this past Tuesday. It's a fantastic full-length album and a DVD of live performances, backstage shenanegans, and studio stuff. All this at Best Buy for SEVEN DOLLARS. That's right, for less than a movie ticket, you can buy a CD/DVD release. If you're into harder music, you may like these guys. Plus, Dave Grohl from Nirvana drums for them live.

Anyway, I had to let people know. I'm telling everybody about it. I've got to, man. I'm on their "street team"

ps-I can't quite explain what they sound like, except that they're pretty hard, very loud, and very bassey (if that's a word)

Dave's actually listed as a band member on this album, apparently.

And the $7 price tag will make me get up off my butt and actually buy it (as a self-birthday present).

So good job.

I'll make sure to come back in a week and tell you that it sucks and demand my $7 back, I'm sure.

Also check out 'Something Corporate'. I know a guy in the band, they're pretty good. Check out their song, 'Woke Up In A Car' or 'Hurricane'. It's good piano rock, IMHO.

Yeah, that's right. I'm not sure if he played on all the tracks though. They're a real revolving door of musicians. They're last album had a different lineup for every song, except that all of them have lead guitarist Josh Homme and bassist Nick Oliveri. They're the two main songwriters too. One of the songs from that album even had Rob Halford on it.

But I'll definitely be interested in hearing what you think of it. As well as from anyone else who gives it a listen.

I'll try that other band too

They do the best live shows ever - it's all in the bass, guys. Saw them early last year (or maybe the year before) and they rocked!

Okay, well, I bought it and listened to it, and I'll have to listen to it again*, but so far I'd have to call it ... well ... boring.

It feels like Judas Priest decided to become a Moody Blues cover band, except they didn't remember the songs and they had no facility for the orchestration. In addition, they only came up with enough licks and hooks for about five songs, but spread it over fourteen anyway.

Also, they need to lose that singer. He's awful. He goes from Rob Halford screeching to Moody Blues crooning, neither one very effective or interesting.

And the fake radio clips were pretentious at best.

The drumming was fairly good, though.

* I need to listen to it again because I fell asleep on, I think, a good chunk of it.

Try the Something Corporate

Aw, that's harsh. I definitely don't think that. But you're entitled to your opinion.

I'll just point out that it's not the same singer. The one on the first track is Nick Oliveri, the bassist, the second track is Josh Homme, the lead guitarist, and the 4th is Mark Lanegan, the...other vocalist. I can see where Josh Hommes voice may not sound very effective to you, but I think they use it quite well for the songs he sings. Part of the reason the band interests me is that they don't put a hige amount of emphasis on the vocals. In past incarnations of the band the vocals were mixed pretty much to the same level as all the other instruments. This idea of putting the individual songs ahead of the musicians is what I think makes the band great. I believe there are a total of 4 singers on that album, actually.

Then there's just the fact that I think they do really interesting stuff on there.

Also, the radio clips are explained on the DVD. It's not pretentious. Quite the opposite. The band has a great sense of humor. Heck, does that clip right before "Song for the Deaf" sound like they're trying to be serious?

Oh well. I like em. At least you were able to try out an album for only seven bucks.

They do the best live shows ever - it's all in the bass, guys. Saw them early last year (or maybe the year before) and they rocked!

Sweet! I saw them in the beginning of this summer. Kicked ass. As I type this, I just got back from a show that they were supposed to play, but they cancelled. I'll be driving another 5 hour round trip to see them in a week and a half

But I did see a band that some of you may have heard of, called ...and You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead. They were pretty much completely nuts. Pretty loud, which I didn't expect, and it was just crazy. They were the intended openers, but since Queens cancelled they were the show. They did pretty well filling in.

Welp, that's all!

As I said, I'll have to listen to it again. And I've been known to be totally off-base on my first few listenings of an album, so I might do a 180 on this. I really disliked the new Foo Fighters album the first few times I heard it, despite loving their (his?) first two, but now I enjoy it quite a bit, even though it's probably their weakest album.

I didn't realize that it was different guys singing, though. That might make a difference on future listenings, as I may have assumed one guy was trying to go all over the place and doing a bad job. The vocals were certainly a little too high in the mix, regardless, though, I think.

(As to the radio clips, I disagree. I didn't think they were trying to be serious. That is, I didn't mean ``pretentious'' in an ``Oooh! I'm so arty!'' way. The thing is that all of them were implying that the radio sucks, and, in doing so, implying that they were so much better than those lowly radio hit bands. Which is either pretentious or sour grapes, in my opinion, whether or not they are a great band. But the fact that they are implying to be a great band at all, via these mock radio clips, is pretentious, again, regardless of whether or not they are. But at least they didn't add anything to the music, as far as I could tell. It's not like it was Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.)

Trail have some good stuff - I wasn't sure for a while then I heard a few tracks and got really into them. Kerrang channel is even playing their new single at the moment.

What did I do before the Kerrang channel?

Okay, I've listened to the album a couple of more times, and ...

It still sucks.

Maybe slightly less than in my initial review, but there were times that I pulled up at a stop light listening to this thing, and I got the overwhelming urge to roll up my window so that people wouldn't hear me listening to it.

I just can't express how dull this album is. Check out the AllMusic review and remove the parts that claim that they're a good band despite the album and I'd agree with it totally.

On the other hand, there were, I think, two songs that had the quieter singer guy that could have been good if they ever went anywhere. They felt like they were going to and then just didn't. Unlike the rest of the songs which were obviously going to be four minutes of the same lame metal riff over and over.

Sorry, Dignan. Had to be said. I'm sorry I spent my $7 on this album.

That's weird.. I have actually seen a *lot* of really good reviews of their latest album. I have the first album, I can't say I like all of it... but at least about half of it is really unique and (imho) great to listen to, when you are in the mood for something utterly different. And they were about the only band at Ozzfest 2001 (maybe 2000?) that was worth listening to.. (with the notable exception of incubus, the greatest band ever... muhahaha! )

someone ive been digging for a while now is You're Pretty. a band that .. i think, just recently broke up. out of milwaukee. (thats in wisconsin :P) i think you can find some of their stuff on mp3.com. lately ive been obsessed with the track "Worst of Me"

customsex

incubus, the greatest band ever

Ugh. S.C.I.E.N.C.E. was amazing and is one of the best albums on my empeg. Everything after it is total garbage. It is sooo amazingly sad to see a band decline as quick as they did. Just mt $.02.

That's fine, I don't expect everyone to like it. That's your tastes showing through and that's fine. I just like it when people put the effort forth to listen to new stuff. So that was cool.

I thank you for alerting me to the fact that the AMG review was up. I'd been checking every few days so I guess I missed it. The review affirmed two suspicions I've had about allmusic.com for quite some time now:
a) Stephen Thomas Erlewine is totally full of himself
b) a completely different person gives star ratings than does the reviews

I mean, I don't mind a bad review of something I like, but he seemed to be viewing the album completely through the filter of White Stripes/the Strokes. That's just crap. Sorry.

I simply happen to think the album is excellent, and I'll enjoy listening to it as I head back to DC again tomorrow (Tuesday) night to see them in concert good lord I'm tiring myself out.


Unfortunately, I'd have a difficult time getting into Incubus now. I already have the image of that one softer song in my head and that would be hard to shake. I'll download something though.


ps-one thing I can't believe is that you didn't like the vocals of Mark Lanegan (the gruff-voiced singer). his voice is enough for me to buy anything. oh well

There were three singers, right? There's the singer on the first track that's very metal screamy. Him I hated (despite the fact that that sort of thing doesn't really bother me most of the time -- I like Snapcase, for example). Of the other two singers, there was one that I actively liked and another that was just fine. I'd have to go back and listen to it yet again in order to tell you which tracks was the guy I liked, and that's not likely to happen (although it seemed like it was only two or three of the tracks, if that helps).

Well, the other two guys are pretty distinctive vocally. One has a gruff, "Tom Waitts-like" voice ans the other is smoother.

By the way, I just got back (it's 3:15AM) from a Queens of the Stone Age show. Freakin' incredible (again, if you like the music). They played with the Burning Brides and ...and You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead. Both bands were great. All bands were great. I skipped classes. It was fun.