screwy reviewy: Queens of the stone age, self-titled

Sadly, most “rock fans”(usually natty bo and dorito fans as well) stick to their guns even when presented with overwhelming evidence that they are full of shit. “I only like the old stuff” is one such instance of groupthink in this “culture”. It could be referring to old bands in preference to new ones. Or old works, in preference to new ones, of a particular artist.

That said, this is, in actuality, the first Queens of the Stone Age LP. And this is QotSA’s worst album. However, considering the competition, that means it’s pretty damn good. I have a raging hard-on for this band because, when examining their existence and body of work, it’s impossible to say that older is always better. They are essentially a post 2000 band, and though my favorite work of theirs isn’t their latest, they haven’t put out predictable or low-caliber work of any kind since their birth.

The dualism of this is that Queens of the Stone Age is a victim of their time. When listening to the this self–titled album, I kept thinking about how if this particular work had been released in the “golden era” of grunge, when Kurt Cobain ruled the world, he would have had some stiff goddamn competition. Instead, it existed, and still exists as of 2008, in a time when rock radio station playlists are stuck in 1997. Of course, that doesn’t make it any less relevant and good.

Ok, the music is good. The song writing and lyrics are great. If this had been Queens of the stone age’s only work to date I would say they were a pretty hit-or-miss band. Luckily, unlike many other bands(particularly 90's ones), they followed this up with outstanding material. When I listen now, after having heard all of their other works, I would consider this halfway to archetypal. One song in particular could fit right in with the next Queens album; "Walkin' on the Sidewalks". Many others have a stench of boring indie rock(until Josh Homme’s distinctive voice sounds).

Overall, this album mostly reminds me to advise my generation to live in the present. The greatest dead or retired musicians were making music in the present at a certain time, and someone very similar to you was ignoring them, until society at large caught-up. Put away “the classics” for just a moment(their not going anywhere) and get on top of what musicians today are dishing up.