175. Queens of the Stone Age – Rated R
There are very few albums that can do for me what Rated R does. Listening from start to finish, it takes me to places that mind altering substances used to. It’s strange, it’s trippy, it’s a meandering ride through a funhouse tunnel, filled with twists and turns and sights and sounds that make you wish the ride would never end. Everything is unexpected; one minute you’re traveling at the speed of light and then suddenly you’re slowing down, you get a chance to collect your thoughts and breath before the ride whips up to speed again. There’s everything on this ride – highs and lows, love and pain, hallucinations and a mean reality.
There’s so much going on here that the album left my head spinning the first time I listened to it. The musical influences are so myriad – punk, metal, jazz, pop, psychedelic – that you have to completely open your mind in order to listen to and appreciate everything within. Better Living Through Chemistry is trippy fuzziness. Auto Pilot is melodic and soothing. Tension Head and Quick and to the Pointless are metal influenced punk. There are very few bands who could take so many sounds, put them on one album and make it all sound seamless. Queens of the Stone Age are masters at that. They can go from a singable pop number like Lost Art of Keeping a Secret to the strange funk of Leg of Lamb and it all just flows together like it was meant to be.
Rated R is a long, strange trip. While QOTSA are so often referred to as Stoner Rock, the beautiful thing about them and this album in particular is that you don’t need to be high to enjoy it; the music IS the drug.
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February 8th, 2009
Your QOTSA reviews are spot-on.
I can’t relate to much of the lyrical content on their records, but musically speaking, it’s right up my alley. I’ve become a *much* bigger fan since reading your reviews, so THANK YOU.
Into The Fade has some of the creamiest guitar tones I’ve ever heard. Love.
(Also, I love Grooveshark and it’s great to see you using it now for your embedding. And their color scheme matches perfectly!)
February 8th, 2009
I find most people don’t listen to QOTSA for the lyrics – a lot of it is throwaway rhymes. This is one band where it’s all about the music.
February 9th, 2009
[...] And I reviewed QOTSA, Rated R. [...]
February 10th, 2009
Hey, I really enjoy reading your blog. I even like reading reviews about albums I haven’t listened to, just because you have a really warm and engaging writing style. The personal touch to music reviews is something the mainstream is really lacking, and it makes your blog really enjoyable to read.
Thanks.
February 10th, 2009
Thank you, Kyle. That means a lot.
March 28th, 2009
I think that Rated R is QOTSA’s best album, I first heard “The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret” on cable-DMX, and it spun my head around; I went out and bought the album right away. NO filler on this album, and each song different from the other. Once Nick left, the band was not as good, IMO. His absolutely dangerous bass groove on “Better Living Through Chemistry” is what drives the song and builds the tension.
I found your blog about a month ago, I really like reading your reviews and memories.
June 8th, 2009
[...] this is not pitchfork 175 Queens of the Stone Age Rated R Posted by root 12 minutes ago (http://thisisnotpitchfork.com) Queens of the stone age are masters at that they can go from a singable pop number like lost art by steelopus february 8 2009 11 29 am reply to this comment this is not pitchfork is powered by wordpress middot wordpress themes Discuss | Bury | News | this is not pitchfork 175 Queens of the Stone Age Rated R [...]