Queens of the Stone Age

I liked this. Kinda grungy rock that I could use more of. 4/5

Coming back to review this a week after listening. I definitely liked it. I can't remember why though.

I liked it. Nothing really grabbed me and stuck in my head, but I like the experimental nature of lot of it, especially towards the end of the album.

Despite my like of Rock in general, QOTSA never clicked for me. 2.5

I can’t be mad at more 90s rock. That’s my wheelhouse. But it is really funny to think of the 1001 authors sitting down to be like, “you have *got* to hear this average example of a genre already well represented, both in pop culture and in our book, before you die.”

I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump down to a 3.

I’ve heard of Queens of the Stone Age, but I haven’t *heard* them (or in this case, him) until now. This is, much like the first Foo Fighters album, secretly a solo project, although the drums are by someone else. Unlike the first Foo Fighters album, I think this one just sort of flounders in a vague kind of mediocrity – nothing’s ever technically “wrong” on this album, and it sounds really nice when you’re not paying attention.

Unfortunately, I am the exact type of person to pay attention, and that attention applies to everything. I think the lyricism isn’t as precise and measured as many of its other 90s grunge contemporaries that we’ve got (i.e., Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains, Nirvana), and the broader strokes don’t really paint any kind of consistent picture for most of the tracks. I think the instrumentals are good, but suffer from the occasional really long repetitive pattern in the drums & guitar that doesn’t get covered up by the often safe vocals – his voice, when he’s really experimenting with the range it can take on these instrumentals, can sound super good, but he plays it really safe on a lot of these, and as such, it sort of inconsistently shifts between engaged & disinterested. Sort of like the Britney Spears album we got, there are points where his conviction feels a little half-baked & it just feels off.

However, all of those criticisms are partially from my listening style – there were points on this album where I did just sort of toss the lyrics aside, tried to sort of zone out & just let the music come to me, and those moments, while hit & miss, did click pretty well when a zen state kinda came to me. That said, it was just as easy to snap out of that zen state when something more abrasive or audibly awkward came in; the out of key guitar on “You Can't Quit Me Baby” & the harsh electronica/synth work that ends the album are the two biggest examples here.

As a whole, I did enjoy this, but it’s clearly not at the same level as its contemporaries, at least on a first pass – it’s not as refined, it feels a little too garage-y at points, and it doesn’t do a great job of filling its emptier vocal space. I’ve read reviews that say their later work, when an actual full band comes in, is significantly better & arguably landmark worthy, and I’m willing to believe that. This isn’t a bad album, it just didn’t click well for me. I can hear the potential for sure, and there are some good tracks on this. It’s just not a great experience, at least for me, hence the 3.5 bumped down to a 3.

Intensives power geladenes Stone Rock Album. Es sind gut abgestimmte harte Gitarren Sounds mit interessanten Trance und Vocal Elementen. Kein Song ist wirklich langweilig. Jeder Song unterscheiden sich gerade soviel von den anderen, dass das Album insgesamt noch ein Kunstwerk ist. Die Sogs haben oft ein tolles finish. Tolle Songs sind „Regular John“, „Avon“, „If Only“, „Walking on the Sidewalk“, „The Bronze“ und mein Geheimtipp „Spiders on The Vineguaeds“.

Цікавий дебют загалом, хоча я б обрав для себе більш пізній період КВОТСА або songs for the deaf.

The queens kinda of passed me by on the first try. I thought they were fine. After sitting for a compulsory album however I really like them.

Some songs sound alright, but mostly it doesn't sound super good or interesting.

Omfg that bass tone is killing me! The drums are so hypnotizing, the guitar is a defining factor of my general music taste! This is so fucking good!

Just loved it... what's more to say?!?!
;-)

There's a bit to like in here. Overall it's a good debut. I like the riffs and the guitars in general, and the kind of down and dirty production. There's some propulsive energy to the songs. It has that QOTSA feel to it, with a lot of minor keys. The main criticism I guess is that not enough really stands out. It's all kind of similar.

I think they got better after this - it's a solid if unspectacular debut.

Not the QotSA album I would have expected - Rated R or Song for the Deaf should probably be here in its stead - but a good introduction to the band. Regular John is a great track, everything else is also pretty solid, but I will be a bit disappointed if this is the only time Josh and the gang feature on this list.

Solid 4. Need to listen to them more often.

I could never get into QOTSA. I think it's because there isn't much in the way of talent there. If ya listen, they just wail out the same fuzzy power chords. Super simple songs. I can't really nail down why they never hit with me, but they didn't. I had a real hard time listening to this one. Took me all day, because I just don't care. They are just so.... Boring. Also, the album cover gives me the heeby jeebies for some reason.

Favourite songs: Mexicola, If Only, Avon, How to Handle a Rope (A Lesson in the Lariat)

Least favourite songs: Hispanic Impressions, Spiders and Vinegaroons, I Was a Teenage Hand Model, These Aren't the Droids You're Looking For

2/5

Songs For The Deaf would have been the best pick from this band. QOTSA definitely belongs on this list, but this album is not as good as the next ones. I am not saying it's bad, it's very good, but if it was SFTD it would have gotten 5 stars.

This album is great, but I’m not happy with Mr Robert Dimery yet again. How could he place this on as QOTSA’s only inclusion. Rated R, Songs For The Deaf, and …Like Clockwork are better overall and any of them should have been included if they were to only get one spot. The debut does rip. Dusty riffs and walls of sound aplenty. Favorites are Regular John, If Only, Mexicola, You Can’t Quit Me Baby, and I Was A Teenage Handmodel.

I agree with another reviewer that this is generic rock music. I usually give that description a three. However, now that I’ve listened to the album I am so annoyed by how often they take a riff and repeat it dozens of times that I am docking them a star. Figure out another way to pad your songs guys.