25
by big d note
It's definitely a different pace from their early stuff, but I love it. This album is a great blend of QOTSA, Desert Sessions, and even Them Crooked Vultures. The last few QOTSA albums really felt like Nick was missing. It was like they did albums of all their other songs, that were less Nick-centric, and the Nick songs were just left out. The balance was off. This time they've got some more of the aggressiveness back, but it's blended in within the songs more. It has lots of light and shade moments, like Led Zeppelin.
Their progression reminds me of Zeppelin a bit. Rated R, s/t, Songs for the Deaf feel like Led Zeppelin 1-4: lots of swagger and testosterone. The next few albums are like Houses of the Holy: they're trying to evolve their sound, add more instruments, but they haven't got the formula yet. Like Clockwork feels like Physical Graffiti or Presence. It's more mature, more nuanced, and they've got their new direction figured out. I appreciate that the band is getting older and not trying to fake some angst or scream like Nick used to.