What's happening to Queens of the Stone Age? Is there a turning point in sight? Will there be an album influenced by performances from the Alive in the Catacombs Tour?
The question arises from the atmosphere and arrangement of the new single Easy Street in which the band breaks away from the typical electric and nervous style, the piece being mostly based on acoustic guitars. Guest on backing vocals is country singer Nikki Lane. It had been presented during the theatrical tour (in the related film there was a teaser for another unreleased film entitled Insignificant Other).
“The ones who should love me most are breaking my heart,” sings Josh Homme in a song with a melody that at times recalls U2. And again: “I've been dead a long time. I don't believe in luck, so you can take mine. Drinking doesn't help, but it certainly keeps those who want to help you away. Don't ruin the atmosphere, I'll already take care of that myself.” And in the finale: “If you need me, come and visit me on Easy Street. It's not difficult to find me. It's incredible to get lost in a labyrinth that you've built in your head.”
“It's a pretty fun song,” Homme says in a press release. «It's like when you bump your elbow: it makes you laugh because it hurts and it hurts because it makes you laugh. You're serious, but at the same time it's funny. We made it as you would a demo. No clicks, we left the errors. Time speeds up, slows down, the claps are not perfect, but not bad either, and just a slightly wrong clap adds that human element that you can't fake. It's not just about lightness. It's about understanding the imperfections of your life. The song, just like your life, lives in mistakes. Its imperfections are unbeatable.”
There's also a video directed by Christopher Gruse and Tony Wolski that feels like a celebration of the freakiness of Homme and those around him. The bloody, battered singer, in shorts and a Motörhead t-shirt, seems to be chased by a colorful group of people, while in reality he leads the «bunch of freaks» towards a house where they have a big party. And when the respectable neighbors, annoyed, come to the door to protest…
A few days ago Shania Twain, the country-pop star who is experiencing a small revival, released a new excerpt from her next album Little Miss Twain. It's called Faded Blue Jeans and it is sung with Homme.
