10 Perfect Rock Albums For Summer 2022
3. Queens Of The Stone Age: Songs For The Deaf (2002)
You've just finished Springsteen's Born to Run and you've still got another hour of your car journey to go. The air-con is broken and the temperature is soaring. That ice cream you thought was a good idea has melted in the glove compartment and tempers are starting to wear thin.
It's time for some high octane desert rock to blow off the steam. When it comes to driving a car at high speeds in humid environments, there's really only one band to listen to. Josh Homme and Queens of the Stone Age all but invented music for this kind of scenario.
Songs for the Deaf is a huge album. The vocals are explosive, the drums pound hard and the guitars screech like a Cadillac in need of a service. It's no surprise either, Homme assembled a one-time-only killer lineup for this record. Nick Oliveri contributed the rumbling bass; former Screaming Trees frontman, Mark Lanegan, added his vocals to the mix; and the drumming powerhouse, Dave Grohl, put Foo Fighters on hiatus to pick up the sticks again.
The album follows a loose concept. Each track is tied together by the sounds of a crackling car stereo, trying to pick up radio stations, on a journey through the desert. Luckily for the listener, the car stereo tunes into the hell fire rock of Queens of the Stone Age. Pedal to the metal.