Queens of the Stone Age - Rated R

The tune for Today is:

Queens of the Stone Age - The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret

Well I've got a secret, I cannot say
Blame all the movement to give it away
You've got somethin', I understand
Holding it tightly, caught on command
Leap of faith, do you doubt?
Cut you in, I just cut you out

Whatever you do
Don't tell anyone
Whatever you do
Don't tell anyone

Look for reflections, in your face
Canine devotion, time can't erase
Out on the corner, locked in your room
I never believe them and I never assume
Still can't believe there is a lie
Promises promise, an eye for an eye
We've got something to reveal
No one can know how we feel

Whatever you do
Don't tell anyone
Whatever you do
Don't tell anyone

Whatever you do
Don't tell anyone
Whatever you do
Don't tell

I think you already know
How far I'd go not to say
You know the art is gone
And I'm taking this all to the grave

Whatever you do
Don't tell anyone
Whatever you do
Don't tell anyone

Whatever you do
Don't tell anyone
Whatever you do
Don't tell

Review by Steve Huey (allmusic)

The second Queens of the Stone Age album, Rated R (as in the movie rating; its title was changed fromII at the last minute before release), makes its stoner rock affiliations clear right from the opening track. The lyrics of "Feel Good Hit of the Summer" consist entirely of a one-line list of recreational drugs thatJosh Homme rattles off over and over, a gag that gets pretty tiresome by the end of the song (and certainly doesn't need the reprise that follows "In the Fade"). Fortunately, the rest of the material is up to snuff. R is mellower, trippier, and more arranged than its predecessor, making its point through warm fuzz-guitar tones, ethereal harmonies, vibraphones, horns, and even the odd steel drum. That might alienate listeners who have come to expect a crunchier guitar attack, but even though it's not really aggro, R is still far heavier than the garage punk and grunge that inform much of the record. It's still got the vaunted California-desert vibes of Kyuss, but it evokes a more relaxed, spacious, twilight feel, as opposed to a high-noon meltdown. Mark Lanegan and Barrett Martin of the Screaming Trees both appear on multiple tracks, and their band's psychedelic grunge -- in its warmer, less noisy moments -- is actually not a bad point of comparison. Longtime Kyuss fans might be disappointed at the relative lack of heaviness, but R's direction was hinted at on the first QOTSA album, and Homme's experimentation really opens up the band's sound, pointing to exciting new directions for heavy guitar rock in the new millennium.


Tune the album here

Checkout the Queens of the Stone Age website (the new album will be released in 2013!)