I know little about this up and coming group other than that number "No One Knows" has a cool crunching beat that kind of stands out in the ocean of blandness today. Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA) is perhaps, IMHO, the best band on the scene right now.
They were formed about five years ago from the remains of a defunct hard-rock band called Kyuss.
I first caught them live purely on accident. It was 1999 and they were playing in front of about 200 people in my favorite dive bar: The 15th Street Tavern. I happened to be there enjoying some after-work drinks when they set up. I had heard of Kyuss, so I decided to stick around and see what they had to show me. I was not disappointed and have seen them two more times since them.
Here is a photo from the show that I saw them at (I may or may not be the dude in the front with the cigarette):
The bar was so small they had to turn the pool tables on their sides and remove their legs to accomdate the crowd.
They have three albums out and they are all great. The first is my favorite, only because I know the music much better. These dudes are getting huge fast! And it is well deserved.
P.S., if you like this type of music, check out Fu Manchu. They rock balls-hard as well, though they haven't developed the following that QOTSA has --yet!
They have three albums out and they are all great. The first is my favorite, only because I know the music much better. These dudes are getting huge fast! And it is well deserved. Cool Pic Drew. That must have been some kind of show in that small place. If the song "No One Knows" is any indication I'm sure I'll like the album. I have always been drawn to artists/bands that take chances and go for unusual sounds.
If I have a criticism about music today it is that it is too sanitized, too over produced, too clean, too mundane and definitely over marketed. Speaking of which I heard that Nora Jones album recently and fell asleep after the first number. It's just too clean and contrived to keep me interested.
I miss that grit that even pop bands of the 60s had like the Fifth Dimension. Paul McCartney once lamented that his song "the Long and Winding Road" could have been a lot better but John Lennon told McCartney we do it on this take or forget it. And if you listen carefully to that song there are some technical flaws in it but that IMO makes it even better. I prefer mistakes and that chance note if there is live brilliance in the mix. So much spontaneity and brilliance is lost when bands try to achieve perfection in the studio.