[rating=8.00]
Turning to trendy pop producer Mark Ronson for its seventh album, Queens of the Stone Age has again redefined its sound while still remaining true to the roots it planted with its 1998 self-titled debut. Ronson’s influence is apparent, as Villains is a bit more polished than previous Queens of the Stone Age efforts, with more of a pop sheen and a greater emphasis on melody.
That’s not to say that Villains is soft by any means. The album still features Josh Homme’s crunching guitar, a thunderous rhythm section, and the band’s usual dynamic compositions. There is simply a slick pop layer laid over that sound.
Album opener “Feet Don’t Fail Me” sets the tone. From the feedback, fretboard scratches, and slowly building drums, the song sounds as if it’s going to break into the band’s well-known heavy growl. Eventually, it does, but first a progressive 80s-sounding synthesizer drives the track, building to a crescendo as Homme’s guitar plows into the mix with a heavy funk-infused riff. From there, the song continues its odd juxtaposition: the drum beat and reverb-drenched vocals scream pop music, but there is an underlying heaviness; the song could be used for dancing or moshing.
Songs like “The Way You Used To Do” similarly meld heavy rock with radio-friendly pop, mixing crunching guitars and pounding drums with reverb and dance floor handclaps. Lighter songs like “Fortress” benefit from Ronson’s melodic sensibilities, as Dean Fertita’s synth flourishes flesh out Homme and Troy Van Leeuwen’s swirling guitars. “You walk through the darkness of wilderness behind your eyes,” Homme sings. “I know you’re afraid but you gotta move on.”
Even with the pop reinvention, though, this is still a Queens of the Stone Age album, which means an abundance of off-kilter song composition, dynamic shifts, loud guitars, and Homme’s voice alternating between menacing yell and sweet falsetto. The frenetic “Head Like a Haunted House” showcases some of those strengths, with Jon Theodore’s aggressive drums anchoring Homme and Van Leeuwen’s helter skelter riffing. The song hits with the ferocity of something off of Rated R but without the dark, murky tone.
Villains is the lightest and most radio-friendly Queens of the Stone Age album yet, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The band has made a habit of reinventing itself for each LP and part of the appeal of Queens of the Stone Age is not knowing what to expect from song to song or album to album. If Lullabies to Paralyze was its best heavy riffing album and Songs for the Deaf was its eclectic tour through the band’s influences, then Villains is its most cohesive, streamlined album. Trimmed of all fat and some of the band’s more experimental moments, Villains is a lean 9 songs of pop rock done Josh Homme style. Over the last two decades, Queens of the Stone Age has been one of the few mainstream alternative bands consistently putting out great rock music. Part of the band’s success has been a willingness to stray from any formula and try new things. Villains is the next iteration of Queens of the Stone Age’s sound, but likely not the last.
