What people search:
 | Title : Songs for the Deaf
Author : Queens of the Stone Age
Release Date : 20020827
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $18.98
Amazon.com Price : $11.99
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Editorial Reviews :
Despite the advent of the '00s, thoroughly blunted longhairs wearing three-quarter-length T-shirts still boot around the suburbs in painted vans listening to roaring metal. Fittingly, a whole new crop of post-Dazed and Confused-era stoner rockers--Fu Manchu, Monster Magnet, and arguably the kings of them all, Queens of the Stone Age--provide a shredding contemporary score for righteous three-finger devil salutes. On Songs for the Deaf, core members bassist Nick Oliveri and singer-guitarist Josh Homme (also see Kyuss) balance pure guitar-induced carnage with more complex, though no less aggressive, speed rock that whips by so fast it creates its own breeze. Opening with the 90-second 'The Real Song for the Deaf'--a cheeky and amorphous bit of bloopy electronica quite possibly recorded at the bottom of a swimming pool--the disc explodes with track two, a toxic squall of power chords and now-classic Olivera death howls. It's here the album's recurring concept/conceit is introduced as a generic-sounding announcer from L.A.'s 'Clone' radio spits out some psychobabble reinforcing the tired if true cliché that commercial radio stinks. Similar mock broadcasts surface elsewhere, but they're easily forgivable, given the bounty on offer. Homme-powered tracks dominate--the lurching, weirdly springy 'No One Knows' is a kind of 'Monster Mash' for grownups; the vocal harmony-driven 'The Sky Is Falling' is almost dreamy until a small army of guitars surges to the front lines to begin firing. And a lyrically winking hidden track, 'Mosquito Song,' is either an in-joke of ridiculous proportions or a declarative statement about the level of musicianship lurking just beneath the quaking veneer of the Queens' sound. Either way, genuine excitement comes early and often on Songs for the Deaf. It's a remarkable achievement--a hard rock record so good that it immediately evokes a conspiratorial fervor that makes you want to tell everyone you can about it. Er, job done. --Kim Hughes
Buyer Reviews :
Their latest effort is actually the first album I've had the pleasure of listening to by this band. Although the fake 'DJ' interludes range from humorous to tiresome, the album stays steadily in the grunge rock groove. I must admit, one of the main reasons I like this album so much is that it seems to me very Soundgarden-esque. That being said, I'll try to describe the sound and feel of the album.
The pounding guitars throughout the album make sure your brain knows this is definitley a rock album. They ooze grunge throughout this record by combining those pounding guitars with a nice rhythm at times. Another thing I like about this album is that the bass guitar is allowed to do it's job of building the foundation for the sound. As for the drums, you may expect having Dave Grohl on board would give you some exceptionally strong feeling of 'wow', but they do seem to under-emphasize this particular instrument (despite other comments of 'over-mixed drums). I'd say that the vocalist (Josh Homme) shines on 'Songs For The Deaf' I especially found interesting the use of mis-matched tempo between the vocals and the guitars. One one hand you have this driving guitar beat and on the other, a drawn out, slow-paced vocal track. It's quite effective at strengthening the overall impact of the songs that utilize this technique.
If I had to name a downside to this album, I'd mention that while they have a great sound, it doesn't seem very diverse. All of the songs (with 1 or 2 exceptions) feel similar, like a magnet to your ears and a weight on your head (and that's a good thing). Some of the songs seem to make use of similar riffs, albeit implementing them in different ways.
A few notable songs:
'No One Knows' is a very catchy song, yet carries a bit of weight to it.
'Six Shooter' seems to be just a tyrade of nothingness, which seems to be that one 'stand out' song on the album which everyone wonders how it got there.
'God is in the Radio' Another heavy song with a bouncy, melodic beat. Good lyrics in this song 'God is naked through the stereo'. I could see this being a radio song.
'A Song for the Deaf' A good title track, placed near the end (track 13) serves to anchor this album as firmly as it was planted in track 1. Some usage of noise and more whining guitars show a glimmer of diversity not found in most of the other songs.
'Mosquito Song' (tr 14) An acoustically played song as good and deep as any on this album. Some Zeppelin-ish rolling guitar flicks combined with a synthesized wind instrument kind of thing allows the listener to 'listen to the leaves' in this great song.
'Everybodys Gonna Be Happy' (tr 15) This, is without a doubt, the most unique song on the album. It's got a peppy title, which transfers into the lyrics and tone of the song. Complete with hands clapping to the beat, this song could have come from the 60's hippy era, or from a band like Iron Butterfly.
I would surely recommend this album to any fan of the grunge side of the alternative genre, or rock period. And, as a fluke, the radio hit does actually give you a good idea of what to expect on the album, since most of it stays in the same spectrum of sound.
(by Ray Smith)
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