6. Era Vulgaris (2007)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E38DwXwpms0 It seems ever so slightly fruitless to denounce an album as messy when ugliness is so inherent to its signature aesthetic. After taking to desert highways in Songs For The Deaf and haunted forests for Lullabies To Paralyze, Josh Hommes merry brigade seem to have psychologically ground out the sludgy, cracked Era Vulgaris in a disused factory. Its all there in the production: the guitars sound as if they are caked in grease and flecks of debris; the grooves and riffs revolve as if being churned from great hulking machinery, and Hommes own elocution plumbs even grottier depths. This rickety, scattershot approach allows for some pretty fun outings: Im Designer is a herky-jerky traipse through some of Hommes sleaziest sorcery, with cynical lyrics twisted through inside-out hooks and groaning guitar tones. Elsewhere, singles Sick, Sick, Sick and 3s and 7s offer rip-roaring examples of QotSAs garage-tinged riffery at its finest. The issue is that amid all the sweat and scuzz, more than a few duds are belched out along the way. Battery Acid is the albums nadir: a work of disjointed glam-grunge which coughs along past its welcome; Suture Up Your Future fails to fully capitalise on the clanking ache of its opening moments; and as an opening statement, Turnin on the Screw is strung along for far longer than its components can adequately manage. In all honesty, theres nothing truly appalling about Era Vulgaris. But when weighted against the other works in QotSAs canon its issues with consistency, engagement, and musical force cant help but seem conspicuous. Highlight: Make it Wit Chu Its the clear anomaly among its peers, but the scratchy genes of Era Vulgaris cause the understated bliss of Make it Wit Chu to sparkle that bit brighter. That bouncy, snare-happy rhythm propels some of the most supple guitar dynamics of QotSAs career along on an earworm-happy route, culminating in a pleasant old-school hook, and some nice twangy soloing. The result is laidback, lithe, and - yes - quite lovely.
Michael Perry
Contributor
Film and Literature student, keen bloggist, and aficionado of most things music, film, and TV. I've also been told I should stop quoting pop-culture as often as I do in everyday conversations.
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