QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
Songs For The Deaf (Interscope)
Reviewed by John Sekerka

---

Damn this looks good on paper: following up last year's big hit of the summer, gonzo smokin' organic guitar god Josh Homme opens the stone age cave to Foo Nirvana golden boy Dave Grohl, and former Screaming Tree front dude Mark Lanegan, for the blockbuster release we've all been dying for. But crap, it just doesn't work. The tight/loose dynamic of the Queens is gone, in favour of tired old Seattle grunge sludge. Remember Soundgarden? Remember Screaming Trees? There are reasons why those slabs collect dust in yer collection. When grunge turned into a meandering psychobabble of elongated anthems and moaning singers, it died. So what the hell is this record all about? About an hour. Josh Homme should reform Kyuss. Mark Lanegan should go back to his excellent solo career, and David Grohl, well, I don't have all the answers.

© 2002 - John Sekerka