Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris

Sometimes, it’s really hard not to believe the hype. I think that when Michael Jordan made the switch from basketball to baseball, we all silently knew, even though we were hopeful, that his talents would always shine the brightest on the hardwood. Being mindful of MJ, it begs the question: Even though artists feel the need to branch out and experiment, will the ultimate arena of an amazing album show where they were shone the brightest?

Even though I’d heard some tunes from Rated R in the early millennium, my friend Charles let me into the wild world of Queens Of The Stone Age in 2001 and since then, I’ve been ever grateful for that invitation. Songs For The Deaf had just been released and I instantly fell in love with the sound and thematics of Josh Homme’s writing and the controlled explosiveness of Dave Grohl’s drum theatrics. Knowing that Grohl was only a part of the band for that one album, though, I wondered about the longevity of QOTSA. I was, however, still hopeful that Homme’s freaky but culturally exploratory writing would win me over.

Almost three long years later, the highly touted Lullabies To Paralyze was birthed from the brain of Homme and associates. Sadly, this album failed to deliver on a number of levels where Songs For The Deaf broke the mold of molten metallic rock. First off, Grohl’s drumming was sorely missed as the somewhat whap-less Nick Lucero was unfairly pigeon-holed from the get-go. Secondly, the poignant undertones of Josh Homme’s self-searching lyricism on SFTD (that was apparently based on Homme driving through the treacherous Southern Californian desert) was a little more unintelligible and somewhat teenage garage rage-based with songs like “Burn The Witch”, “Everybody Knows That You’re Insane” and “Medication”. Though there were some good signs of life on Lullabies, I started to lose more hope and wondered when the plot for the next QOTSA tale would unfold.

Two short years later, in July 2007, Era Vulgaris hit the shelves. I’d be ultimately misleading if I didn’t state, right off the bat, that this album is almost a complete and head-shaking disappointment of astronomical proportions. This album actually has QOTSA sounding more like an unoriginal side project of Stone Temple Pilots. Losing most or all of the vigor and metallic depth of Rated R and Songs for the Deaf, and since the departure of bassist Nick Oliveri nearly three years ago, the overall stamina and relevance of Homme’s work has seemed to be waning for some time now. Despite some of the interesting thematics and initial internet leaks about this album (featuring two cartoon light bulbs that talk to each other and that are featured on the album art), the brunt of Homme’s work on this album falls flat and flavorless. Though there are a few bright spots on this disc, (i.e. “Sick Sick Sick” featuring Julian Casablancas of The Strokes on synth guitar and vocals) Homme’s lyrical desire to portray the sad era of our Hollywood-ized culture spills over into a musical malaise that has a lot of non-melodic robotic guitar riffs going nowhere fast.

In the track “I’m Designer”, a brooding and interesting chorus (which repeats the lines “I counterfeit myself”) is ruined by a brutally hypnotic and jarring, weak sounding verse segment. Homme’s singing seems shallow and uninspired and though he may be making a point, he’s not really aspiring to much depth. Though the song (and the entire album) is said to depict Josh Homme’s daily drive through the streets of Hollywood, in a dark and mechanical forum, the creativity and buzzing juice of Songs For The Deaf and a few tracks on Lullabies To Paralyze is just not there.

Again, the MJ question is begged: Even though artists feel the need to branch out and experiment, will the ultimate arena of an amazing album show where they shone the brightest? For QOTSA, even though I would like to believe Homme has many untapped circuits of brainpower, I think I may have the unfortunate knowledge that I’ve seen their best work…probably to never be repeated.