Queens of the Stone Age -Sick, Sick, Sick

Thu 24th May, 2007 in Music Reviews

Sometime shortly after Rated R I lost interest in Queens of the Stone Age. Perhaps it was that rock’s supposed saviours relied too heavily on guest recruits (*Dave Grohl* being the biggest one) or on the mythicism of rock itself. Whatever. I thought I’d grown out of the Josh Homme diet of meaty rock.

On the basis of Sick, Sick, Sick, taken from the forthcoming Era Vulgaris, perhaps I was a little hasty with my judgement. Of course during my self-imposed exile from the band I’d heard the quality track, but there was nothing that really pulled me in. In that respect, this track differs. The guests are still present: apparently The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas provides backing vocals here, not that you’d know it. Over the most persistent riffing since Feel Good Hit of the Summer, Homme drawls out such killer lines as “drop the halo, no need to resist, a lick of your lips and my grip on your hips”.

It’s dirty – positively filthy, as a matter of fact – and it’s urgent. It’s rock – œn’ roll and it ain’t bad.