Having jettisoned what seemed to be vital group members, Queens of the Stone Age once again proves the durability of front man Josh Homme’s musical direction with “Lullabies to Paralyze.” The album keeps a so far solid year for rock chugging along and might end up being one of the better albums of the year.
Opening with low-key, acoustic “This Lullaby,” the album soon kicks into high gear with “Medication,” laying down the hypnotic rhythms and mind-scrapping repetition that have defined the group since its stoner rock beginnings. Along with bassist Nick Oliveri, Homme also dumped the annoying faux radio announcements from the band’s 2002 breakthrough LP, “Songs for the Death.”
Stripped of this, “Lullabies” sounds straight-forward and clean-cut compared to its predecessor, though the consistency of the two albums is about the same. Both hold their share of extended tracks where the ceaseless repetition bores into the listener’s skull rather unpleasantly.
But like “Deaf,” “Lullabies” more than offsets any deficits with a collection of simply solid songs. The lock-step groove of “Burn the Witch,” the twistedly catchy rock of “Little Sister” and the almost offsetting slide guitar intro of “Tangled Up in Plaid” make the album more than worthwhile. So while QOTSA don’t seem to be getting any better, they certainly haven’t slipped from the high point they reached years ago.
— Ryan Nyburg