Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris

A few months ago, iTunes ran a special that allowed users to download the new Queens of the Stone Age single, "3's and 7's" for free. The song was so popular that it was quickly released on radio stations around the U.S., where it quickly made its way onto countdowns and Top Ten lists.

But when fans began to purchase the full album, entitled Era Vulgaris, they found that the songs were very different from the previous hits, such as "No One Knows", the catchy older tune from the album Songs for the Deaf. While "3's and 7's" and "Sick, Sick, Sick", the other hit single from Era Vulgaris, are louder, heavier songs with more thrashing guitars and a vocal track that has been compared to David Bowie, the other songs on the album are slower, with more quiet vocals and a less intricate beat.

"Make it Wit Chu" is a slow, jazzy song that has been said to sound like "a good, old-fashioned R&B song", not something that could have been said about most of QoTSA's older songs.

But maybe a change is needed. After all, the comments on lyric sites, Youtube videos, and Yahoo! music reviews have been pouring in, and very few of them are negative. They all praise the innovative lyrics, the versatility of lead singer Josh Homme's voice, and the smooth and sexy sound.

"Run Pig Run", with its doomsday chorus, original lyrics, and haunting sound, seems to be a favorite among reviewers and fans alike. "Misfit Love" is a song that manages to be thrashing without being loud. And "Sick Sick Sick" is a twisted song with a video to match: a beautiful girl slowly eats the members of the band alive.

Homme always said he "wanted the Queens to be a band for the ladies, not the menfolk", and from the vocals to the bass lines, that shows through in Era Vulgaris. While the new album may not be what many fans expected, especially from the first two releases from it, which we loud and punky, the newer, quieter, groovier sound is definetly a positive change that will be fun and easy to listen to again and again.