Queens Of The Stone Age
'Villains'
After four years, which have become a bit long for fans of Queens Of The Stone Age , the band has decided to present the successor of '... Like A Clockwork' (2013) that unlike him did not have a job So intricate and concise at the time of its production. It also highlights the lack of collaboration from friends and other musicians, something that had not happened since its debut in 1998. However Queens did recruit one of the world's most recognized producers of pop and hip hop, the creator of the hit "Uptown Funk, Mark Ronson .
This is an album titled 'Villians' that presents different characteristics that have been accompanying the band since the course of their career and even in some of their songs you hear the nostalgic darkness of the previous one. But the main rationale is that now they have taken the job of recording more calmly and in a less strict process focused, as their leader Josh Homme has confessed, in tunes to dance so open with "Feet Do not Fail Me 'with A repetitive and almost mechanical riff at the beginning that fulfills the aforementioned objective.
In this issue as in his second promotional single "The Evil Has Landed" highlight the abrupt but well thought changes of pace that give a touch of progressive rock, especially in the latter that makes us think of a strange fusion of Genesis With Robert Fripp of King Crimson . Another thing that can be emphasized from the beginning is the influence that had in Homme its work to produce the last plate of the legendary Iggy Pop , Post Pop Depression (2016) being more notable at the beginning of "Feet Do not Fail Me" Since the line of synthesizer sounds quite similar to the chorus Always ready, always steady of the subject "Sunday" extracted from this album.
The influence of The Cramps , a rockabilly punk band that inspired Homme to play the guitar in the song "Head Like A Haunted House" as well as that of David Bowie and his work with Brian Eno in one of my Favorite "Hideaway" and in "Un-Reborn Again".
The album goes through different rhythms ranging from rock swing in "The Way You Used To Be", to the progressive, as I mentioned before, in "The Evil Has Landed" and "Domesticated Animals", to reach the More peaceful and nostalgic like "Fortress" and "Villains Of The Circumstance". The last piece also plays with intensity when climbing this in its chorus as in the predecessor of 'Villains' happened with the beautiful theme "Kalopsia" demonstrating once again the versatility of QOTSA .
Certainly the decision to hire Mark Ronson to shape the sound of this new album was quite accurate. Everything sounds totally coupled and despite being a record in which they opened a little more to improvise in the production process every detail, lick and fill of the instruments seems to have been worked with the same perfectionism of '... Like A Clockwork ', Almost imperceptible simple details that are characteristic of Homme's works.
The mix of the album seems to be the perfect union of the "industrial" and "mechanical" they achieved with 'Era Vulgaris' (2007) and the pop sound of '... Like A Clockwork', fuzz worked to emulate the mechanical sound On the guitars while the synthesizers are more involved in reverbs and distortions, contributing in many cases more ambient tones and some piano touches in songs like "The Way You Used To Do".
The bass as clear as in the previous album of QOTSA where we must highlight the work of Michael Shuman with those little added details that are important part of the groove or that "I do not know what" dance that is part of almost all the songs of the Californians.
Perhaps what can be more related to Ronson's works is the even more remarkable percussion sound tuning in songs with intricate fills like "The Evil Has Landed" and "The Way You Used To Be", in the latter in addition Ex The Mars Volta , Jon Theodore , demonstrates his ability to use the bass drum with triplets at the end of the track which is one of the rare elements in the band's previous work.
In general it's 'VIllians' comes to be an album with the dark and funny essence of Queens Of The Stone Age with new elements that have influenced the grouping in recent years like post punk, art rock, swing and progressive rock with A complete sound that gives way and opportunity to perceive those small details that without noticing it call quite the attention of our ears. An interesting album for those who enjoy the complexity that lies within the simplicity in music.
Rating: 17/20
