Picked this up last night, and dropped the extra two bucks to get the “bonus” DVD. It’s a decent follow-up to “Songs for the Deaf”, but without the widespread variety of that album. If you liked songs like “...but I feel like a Millionaire” and “Go With the Flow”, you’ll dig this album. That also means more of those filthy fuzz-toneish guitar riffs.
The new album has a terrible opening, “This Lullaby” sung by Mark Lanegan. It’s just a lame intro piece and by the time you want to hit your CD player’s “NEXT” button, the next track, “Medication”, blasts in. “Medication” has a similar structure to “..Millionaire” and it’s an excellent opening salvo for the album. Most of the remaining songs are similar. But like any album, there’s a few throwaway songs that probably sound alot better if you’re high on the wacky tobacky. “Everybody Knows that You’re Insane” starts out well enough, but around the 3 minute mark it degenerates into a whiny repititive vocal track. “Burn the Witch” and the first single “Somone’s in the Wolf” have a creepy, hallucinogenic feel to them. They’re not radio-friendly and I’m curious why “Someone’s in the Wolf” was picked as the first single and video. “In My Head” would have been my pick, as it has a catchy melody, and will probably be the one tune I’ll definitely copy to my next big-ass mix CD.
Queens of the Stone Age is sort of a hodge-podge jam band. Guitarist/volcaist Josh Homme is the main guy behind the project, and once again he picks up several guest musicians for this album. Most surprising is Billy Gibbons. Yes, THAT Billy Gibbons! Of ZZ F’n’ Top. In a tongue-in-cheek interview on the DVD, Homme deadpans that the band ” needed more facial hair”.
The bonus DVD would appeal to 8 people--the 8 people who filmed the thing and are included in it. The majority of the disc features footage from the studio. Guys sititng around, recording and saying “wait, wait...let’s try that again”. Jack Black makes a quick cameo, playing the CLAP. It’s like the leftover footage that you see in the background of a promotional video. Also included is a cool (and uncensored) video of “Someone’s in the Wolf”. The final piece of the disc is a fun ”psychoanalysis interview” of Josh Homme, conducted by Sarah Silverman. Silverman plays a ditzy therapist character, while Homme plays along. Nice to know that he doesnt take himself too seriously. With the extra 2 bucks, the whole package only ran me 12.00, so I don’t feel ripped-off. I might watch the video again, but doubt I’ll ever want to view the studio junk.
Rate it about a 6 out of 10.