As of today this is my favorite album of all time, so it only feels fitting to be my first review.
Songs for... the Deaf feels like roaring down a barren desert highway at dusk. The Queens spend over an hour throttling the ears senseless with sludgy, thick stoner riffs. This album featured the best Queens lineup ever, with Dave Grohl behind the kit, Mark Lanegan pitching in with cigarette-laden vocals, and Nick Oliveri still on the bass. Each band member shines on their respective instruments, and Josh Homme’s songwriting is as good as ever.
Songs for the Deaf is to a degree a concept album, simulating a road trip through the desert (fitting) with different radio stations alternating throughout the drive. The radio bits are pretty fun, and they actually add quite a bit of character to the record.
The songs themselves kick all of the ass. The riffs are thunderous and fuzzy, the drumming is frenetic and pulverizing, and the vocals range from crooning falsettos to crackhead screams (courtesy of bassist Nick Oliveri). Naming a favorite song would be an impossible task. The hits, No One Knows and Go With the Flow which are terrific and overflowing with catchy riffs. No One Knows in particular features one of the most recognizable riffs ever. The final stretch of the song is a pummeling run, with every instrument launching into their solo at once. The opener, You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar But I Feel Like a Millionaire is perhaps the hardest hitting song on the album. Nick Oliveri goes full crackhead on the song, and the riffs perfectly dance around his insanity. Song for the Dead features the most impressive drumming of Dave’s career, and Mark Lanegan provides some terrific smoked out vocals, with Josh Homme adding some ominous harmonies throughout. The Sky is Fallin is such a dreary but beautiful tune that feels like a slow and peaceful spiral into nothingness. The main riff that crafts its backbone is deliciously bulky and another ear worm. Another Love Song has a sort of crazed, mariachi feel with lyrics talking about love gone sour. Song for the Deaf is a dark track laden with skull crushing guitar and spine shattering drums. I even love the hidden track Mosquito Song. The way it builds into an epic orchestral song is quite impressive and showcases the band’s versatility and instrumental prowess.
I could go on and on but I’m going to cut it here. This album is fantastic and is the record that I credit for starting my music journey. You should lowkey listen to it. I know this was a tryhard review but since it’s my personal number one album I wanted to get a little in depth. If you read this far you’re a real one and that’s all I have to say. show more
