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(Apr 8, 2005)
Queens of the Stone Age: Lullabies to Paralyze
Rating - ****
The Queens of the Stone Age page
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With this huge release, Queens of the Stone Age (QSA) have positioned
themselves as contenders for the best mainstream rock band of the day. By
using the qualifier "mainstream," I mean to say that there may be some
better bands out there, but they haven't made it to the national/international
spotlight (yet), for whatever reason. But QSA have found a way to solve
the conundrum that faces all bands - how to get to the top without selling
their souls, or put a bit less dramatically, without compromising the quality
of the music.
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Lullabies to Paralyze contains 14 songs, only one of which
could be characterized as expendable. The throwaway is "Long Slow Goodbye" -
the last track, and an accurately named one it is. But up to that point,
this album contains at least 3 songs that are just destined to be hits
right out of the package: "Everybody Knows that You Are Insane," "Little Sister,"
and "In My Head." "Little Sister" is my pick of the lot here, but it's close.
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There's a second group of songs that are less accessible, but become
increasingly interesting and familiar with each listen. These tend
to reside towards the end of the CD - and it's a nice break from
the usual frontloading: instead of songs simply running out of
energy, they get slower, moodier, and more intriguing. "Someone's
In the Wolf" and "The Blood is Love" fall into this category.
And then there's an acoustic prelude entitled "This Lullaby." Now, whenever
I hear an acoustic prelude my first thought is "What's THIS shit?!" It wouldn't
matter if it were the "Ave Maria" or "Silent Night;" if it were the
first time I heard it, I'd think "What's THIS shit?!" It's a trained
reaction on my part to acoustic music. However, "This Lullaby" is
really a very nice piece and a perfect prelude for what comes
after, so it has every right to be where it is.
All this makes Lullabies to Paralyze the frontrunner for Big Lou's
best album of 2005. Get it early and maybe it will turn out to be
your summer's soundtrack.
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