Lullabies To Paralyze (Parental Advisory) [PA] - Queens Of The Stone Age > Reviews > you could stay forever

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	i find it spiffy
Disadvantages:	you may find it squiffy

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

You know how sometimes you hear over and over again how exceptional an album is, and you put off buying it because you don't want to be disappointed, and when you finally do buy it, you find it's good, but it doesn't live up to the hype at all? Queens of the Stone Age's Lullabies to Paralyze isn't one of those albums.

A lot of QOTSA fans were curious to hear how the band sounded after bassist Nick Oliveri was kicked out by singer/songwriter Josh Homme. Now I wasn't (note the past tense) a huge fan of the group, so I didn't rush right out to buy the album. And after hearing all the hype, I feared I'd be disappointed. But a combination of factors made me cave in and buy the thing: I really liked lead single "Little Sister," I saw an entertaining making of the album thingy on MTV, and the dinosaurs who live inside my head told me I'd regret not buying it. So I finally bought it. My only regret? That I hadn't bought it sooner.

The album starts with the acoustic "This Lullaby", which features Mark Lanegan of Screaming Trees on vocals. It's haunting and eerie, slow and acoustic. Basically the complete opposite of the fast, catchy burst of energy that is "Medication". Because we all know, after any lullaby, it's time for your medication. Or maybe that's only how things were done at my house. It relies mostly on the same chord, but that's not really a bad thing because it's so short (under two minutes).

"Everybody Knows That You're Insane" was one of my immediate favourites. The bluesy guitar intro is lovely, but it's when the song suddenly switches gears and becomes catchy and almost punky for the chorus that I realised its awesomeness. And the guitar work is seriously amazing that it might have you deciding to pick up your guitar and practice so that one day you can be that good. I've not done that yet, but I considered it, oh yes.

"Tangled Up in Plaid" sounds like something straight off of Songs For the Deaf, a very good thing in my opinion. I really like everything about this track, the tapping drums, the distorted guitars, that occasional tinkly sound (a triangle maybe?), it's all good. It's impossible to describe using mere words just how perfect "Burn the Witch" is. You could try, but you would not be successful. Mark Lanegan shows up again to duet with Josh, and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons does some guitar work. It's bluesy and haunting and addictive and wonderful.

"Ask yourself, will i burn in hell?
then write it down, and cast it in the well"

"In My Head" is a catchy enough rock song, not one of the best but definitely not one to skip either. If you listen to rock radio or watch any of the music channels, chances are you've heard "Little Sister". It's a natural choice for a single, as it has a catchy chorus and an insanely addictive riff. It also makes good use of the cowbell (seriously!), and it just sounds great, especially the guitar solo at the end.

"I Never Came" is a change of pace, nice and soft and mellow. I like it, but truthfully, I usually end up skipping it to get to "Someone's in the Wolf", which is probably my favourite song on the album. Dark and creepy with atmospheric lyrics, echo-y vocals, a riff that just keeps repeating itself without ever becoming annoying, and tons of weird and sometimes downright scary sound effects. I get the feeling I've not done it justice, so I'll resort to threats: if you don't find some way to hear this track, I will personally hunt you down and kick your ass.

"He steps between the trees, a crooked man
there's blood on the blade, don't take his hand"

"The Blood is Love" is another longer song with a carnival-like intro complete with "circus guitar," another repetitive riff, and a few tempo changes. Not one of my personal favourites, but definitely not a bad track. "Skin On Skin" is a slow, droning song about... well, I'm sure you can guess from the title. The vocals have this odd garbled sound to them, the guitars sound distorted and static-y, and the whole thing is just very strange and sultry and oooh. Which of course means I love it.

"Broken Box" is fuzzy and distorted, with an infectious tapping rhythm and what sounds like handclaps. I love it for the keyboards and the way the guitar joins in after the first chorus. The album starts to come to an end with the laidback, bluesy "You've Got a Killer Scene There, Man", featuring Mark Lanegan (again), Garbage's Shirley Manson, and a whole bunch of other people. Very different and very cool.

"We are united, by drifting alone
this is the army of none, got no flag, got no home"

I hesitate to call "Long Slow Goodbye" pretty, but it is. Josh's vocals are probably as melancholy and restrained as they get on this album, fitting perfectly with the chugging little guitar. And here our musical journey with Queens of the Stone Age ends. Until you hit 'play' and listen to the entire album again, which, trust me, you'll be doing a lot. It's already a contender for my favourite album of 2005.

Repeat (songs I can never get enough of): This Lullaby, Everybody Knows That You're Insane, Tangled Up in Plaid, Burn the Witch, Little Sister, Someone's in the Wolf, Skin On Skin... basically everything
Skip (songs I have trouble listening to even once): none