Queens of the Stone Age
"Villains"
(Matador (ASTERISK)(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK){)
Since his last album as Queens of the Stone Age, 2013's "... Like Clockwork," singer-guitarist Joshua Homme watched as his other band _ Eagles of Death Metal _ lived through Paris' Bataclan attacks (the band played without him that night) and collaborated with Iggy Pop for the proto-punk's "Post Pop Depression" record and tour. Such circumstances didn't make Homme a hero, yet somehow they changed the chug, swagger, and stammer of Queens' stoner-rock eclat into something shinier and sonically heroic on "Villains."
Produced with Mark Ronson � the glossy soul man behind Amy Winehouse and Bruno Mars � the emotionally bruised "Villains of Circumstance," the swinging, sensual "The Way You Used to Do," and the cuttingly existentialist "Hideaway" benefit from the hit-maker's crisp crackle. But, make no mistake, this isn't pop Homme. He never needed help conjuring contagious, melodramatic Bowie-meets-Bacharach melodies revved to 100 mph metal heights with a sexy, cock-of-the-walk kick. What Ronson did was add a dash of honey and a hint of glitter to Homme's whiskeyed rock-outs and stories of ire, anarchy, age, and villains. By the time Homme & Co. (and this is his best set of Queens yet since its 1996 start) get to the lemon-squeezing bluesy "The Evil Has Landed," this team makes all of the world's scariest monsters seem tame in comparison to Homme's inner demons. _ A.D. Amorosi
