the king of queens

Queens of the Stone Age are one of my favorite all-time bands. They have been for many years now. It’s hard to believe almost 14 years have passed since the appearance of their magnificent debut album, which features tonight’s seductively riffy bit of Rock Candy. But to call QOTSA a ‘band’ is something of a misnomer as it’s basically Josh Homme’s baby in conception and execution. The rest of the personnel have been comprised of a continually shifting cast of players, some of whom have stuck around for comparatively long stretches (Nick Oliveri, Mark Lanegan), while others have just passed through (Dave Grohl, Nick Lucero, Dave Catching). Unfortunately, three years or so have passed since the last QOTSA record and I fear Homme may have decided to shelve the band for good. Homme, in fact, seems to have laid low for awhile more generally as there hasn’t been much output from any of his other projects either (Desert Sessions, Eagles of Death Metal). Hopefully he’ll make a triumphant return to the scene sooner rather than later. Although my tolerance for heavy ‘n hard music is increasingly limited these days, Homme breaks the mold and defies categorization. And he gets things exactly right in the process because his vision is squarely within the realm of the pop life. The hooks just keep coming and the riffs have phenomenal staying power. He’s obviously well versed in Black Sabbath, ZZ Top and AC/DC, on the one hand, but the catchiness of his melodies makes me think he’s probably a huge fan of everything from the Beatles to Big Star to Husker Du to REM. He’s one of those rare performers who are at their best more often than not, and when he’s there he plays hard – and, yes, heavy - pop. There’s not a lot of people who can import heaviness into pop, but Homme does it in a way that’s just so satisfying. The other thing is that Homme’s music quite clearly comes from a place of supreme intelligence, which is not necessarily a requirement for me when it comes to the music that captures my imagination, but it doesn’t hurt, especially if the smartness of the music emerges spontaneously as opposed to being mannered or showy. …With a few rare exceptions, I’ve almost completely abandoned contemporary music. My iTunes library cuts off at about 2005, so I’ve been out of it for a long time. I know this is a tell-tale sign of incipient Dinosaurism. Maybe it’s no longer even incipient but rather a fait accompli. I am Dinosaur, hear me roar! But as long as Josh Homme continues to record music, I’ll be able to claim at least a tiny bit of purchase on What’s Happening Now. He’s one of a handful of artists still making music that sends my spirit soaring…