Released on 04/06/07
Label: Polydor

Yet more unreconstructed hard rock from the Ginger Elvis, who still shows little sign of missing erstwhile naked bassist and mercurial sideman Nick Oliveri. Fashioned from a succession of gnarled and mighty guitar riffs, Josh Homme showcases once again his unerring ability to produce hard rock that is both brutishly simple and yet interesting enough to attract more than simplistic brutes - accelerating from a ZZ Top-style boogie (not sure if Billy Gibbons has taken full time Queens' residency, but it's a distinct possibility) before hammering into various hairpin bends and funky blind alleys.

As always, Homme's trademark menacing whisper keeps QOTSA defiantly unique, and one can only imagine how differently his band would be perceived if they employed either a Dave Grohl-style screamer or a Bruce Dickinson-style squealer as vocalist. Either way, "3's & 7's" might be no "Feel Good Hit Of The Summer" or "No One Knows", but there's no one better today at kicking out the jams 2007 style.

    by Adam Webb