Review Summary: Midlife crisis? Nothing but a good time? Maybe both?
If anything, the title of Joshua Homme and his devoted Queens' seventh studio affair is a peculiar one, given that this is probably the least
villain-y the band have sounded in their near-20-year existence. The haze-infused stoner rock flexibilities of their earlier records seem long gone by now. With tens of records to his name at this point and at age 44, Josh Homme is more than ever an artist free to perform as he well pleases. If the massive
...Like Clockwork saw him continuing to make sure no Queens Of The Stone Age album quite resembles one another - all the while becoming one of the most celebrated efforts in the group's collection -
Villains sees the ginger again going back to the drawing board and attempting to renew his craft.
It takes little more than a simple cursory look, however, to realize that maybe the concept of a groove-infused incarnation of Queens Of The Stone Age isn't an entirely strange or far-fetched one. To picture a Josh Homme willing to shake his hips for a minute and put on a couple of dance moves isn't at all hard to do (see: "Monsters In The Parasol"). In fact,
Era Vulgaris actually took these dance predispositions up a notch, be it in the form of the raucous "Turnin' On The Screw" or the overly-horny "Make It Wit Chu". So, while
Villains is its own creature, it's not something that was born out of thin air either. But, just as
Era is clearly the often maligned black sheep in the group's discography, it's not hard to understand why this new release sometimes falls on its feet as well. Ironically enough, it is precisely when they try to put some boogie gimmick to work - "The Way You Used To Do" or "Domesticated Animals" - that
Villains feels the most uninspired.
Mark Ronson being the renowned hit-machine he is, it's interesting to analyze how this collaboration doesn't seem to work to its fullest potential in places where it'd be more likely to succeed, and how, on the other hand, it creates moments of brilliance in areas where the producer is forced to step out of his comfort zone. If the aforementioned "The Way You Used To Do" doesn't excite in spite of its danceable nature, Ronson's surprising subtlety helps make "Fortress" one of the clear album standouts. Homme's vocal performance is augmented greatly by the heartfelt lyrics penned to his children, while the backbone of the song is provided by droning guitars and excellent drumming from Jon Theodore - who is, for reasons unknown, criminally underused in other parts of the record. The collective also make the most out of the triumphant opener "Feet Don't Fail Me" - and if a couple of Homme's vocal inflections on this track may be a little too much sometimes, it is nice to hear him in such an energetic state. Furthermore, the closing blow administered by "The Evil Has Landed" and "Villains Of Circumstance" - the former recalling some of the most groove-ready moments of Them Crooked Vultures, and the latter sounding like something that would feel at home in
...Like Clockwork - ends the album in its best run of form, and would almost be enough to more easily forgive the misfires that otherwise keep
Villains grounded.
But inconsistency seems to be the key word here, in what ultimately amounts to a slightly frustrating, though still enjoyable experience. To dismiss this endeavor as an unequivocally failed experiment would be too harsh, and to label Ronson as the villain of the story would be all-too-easy for Homme devotees - and ultimately reductive, seen as Joshua was the man who wanted to pursuit this change of direction in the first place. Neither judgement would feel completely correct, and by subscribing to either of them one would deprive himself of the successes this album does achieve. Surely, the absence of longtime collaborators like the iconic Mark Lanegan is disappointing, and after the career resurgence that
...Like Clockwork provided, to see skyrocketed expectations be unfulfilled was almost unavoidable. But in times like this, a certain amount of tact is necessary. Already having records such as
Rated R,
Songs For The Deaf and the aforementioned
...Like Clockwork in his curriculum, it'd be safe to say Homme has little or nothing left to prove. Besides, he and his Queens aren't getting any younger either. The man just wants to dance for a minute - and while he can still have a decent crack at it without making a complete fool of himself, he's earned the right to do it.
