QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
R (Interscope)
Reviewed by John Sekerka

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Right from the opening thunderous salvo it is clear that Joshua Homme is parting the murky seas of his bong infested past and moving on. Kyuss might have been the stoner dream band, and their growing legend fuels rumours of reformation, but in the meantime the sheer rockinroll thrill that these Queens offer will definitely do. The glorious power on the album lead in, "Feel Good Hit of he Summer", with an anthemic refrain naming pretty well every addiction under the sun, is just a starting point to an album that will no doubt leave the stoners scratching their heads. Homme leaves his famous dessert jams to explore honest to goodness song structure. No denying that Homme has always had the gift to write a clever hook, but he's never exploited it so blatantly.

© 2000 - John Sekerka