#that project has like 8 credited artists and 6 animators comparing myself to that is just like

[astranauticus]

so the overall.. shape and tone of my current project is pretty much set in stone (im SO CLOSE to 50% done you guys) but i was looking through my saved videos folder on bilibili and if im gonna be doing another animatic after this one (honestly pretty likely??? given my. floruitshow obsession that doesnt seem to be going anywhere anytime soon) i REALLY want to attempt something closer to that style of animatic you see a lot on bb that employs more on elaborate editing as opposed to like............... the powerpoint presentation type beat i've got going on now

(nevermind the fact that a lot of the projects that really lodge themselves in my brain were also like collaborations between teams of people with like dedicated editor roles and i still havent fully figured out how to use lightworks. like ive also seen one man projects in this style that turn out absolutely gorgeous so i KNOW it can be done. maybe i'll go figure out if capcut is easier to use lol)

[therighteousdingo]

Music Review: Queens of the Stone Age - Villains (Vinyl)

We need to go ahead and start this off by saying that Queens of the Stone Age is most likely my absolute favorite band and has been on that level to me for over about 9 years. I’ve seen them live 6 times and have made a kind of goal for myself to see them at least 10 times before I’m done. They’ve influenced me and they’ve essentially guided me along without actually realizing it. I’ve listened to all of their albums over and over and over. This album was definitely heavy anticipation for me and apparently a boat load of other people, and QotSA fans alike.

The Basic Facts:

Recorded in the span of January to March 2017, released in August of 2017.

The album featured Mark Ronson as producer, which was a staunch shift away from the regular circulation of producers and other musicians within the same realm as Queens.

The first Queens album to not have a definite feature from another artist, breaking away from the general tradition they had established for many albums prior.

With 9 tracks, it has the lowest numbered track list of any of their albums.

Debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The marketing campaign behind the new album was incredibly similar to the marketing behind Era Vulgaris, a previous album of theirs, even featuring Bulby, the previous “mascot” for the band during the Era Vulgaris years. The marketing campaign presented a few videos released over time and of course, the singles behind the band, but it needs to be pointed out that when the album was released, they uploaded the rest of the album on YouTube, giving a free outlet for consumers to get ahold of.

The Tracks:

There are LOT of hitters on this album, despite there only being 9 tracks on the album, and Queens like to make the point of all the songs having a singular power to them and never really having any “filler tracks”; this album is no change.  It starts off with Feet Don’t Fail Me. The name alone sets the badass tone for this song and the rest of the album to come. It starts off with the basic Queens of the Stone Age flair with an elongated intro hitting off with reverb and psychedelic undertones before blasting off into one of the best grooving movements the Queens have ever done. Its running, vibing and consistent along with his croon. It shuffles into a disco-esque breakdown which is basically centered mostly around the choppy breaks and Homme’s singing before dropping off for the finale. Definitely one of the best openers they’ve ever had for an album and, to be honest, I might receive some flack for it, but Turnin’ on the Screw is the only opener of theirs that I feel is as grooving but just a bit stronger. Nonetheless, absolutely fantastic. 

The next track, The Way You Used to Do, was the first single released from the album and the most standoffish on the album, for sure. It has a strong swing feel to the entire track which exemplifies the strength of Homme’s vocals which shine strongest on this track in comparison to the instrumentation on the track. Featuring a prominent usage of the 3 guitar approach the Queens had been building, especially during the ...Like Clockwork days, and is helped by the rhythm of the swing and the thundering of Jon Theodore’s drumming.

Domesticated Animals is the name of the third track on the album and the biggest thing I’ve noticed since the album has been released, is the general consensus that this song is the best on the album. I can’t help but point out that the instrumentation is very reminiscent of Era Vulgaris, their 5th album and my favorite Queens albums, and sounds very similar to I’m Designer leading me to call it “I’m Designer Jr.” or “I’m Designer Part Deux”. Despite the slight satire that I give the track, it’s very, very strong on the album and definitely one of the betters on the album. It has a chromatic, ascending approach to the main riff and leaves an openness for Homme to sing comfortably in. This builds until there’s a breakdown which eventually ends the song, somewhat giving a storyline feeling with the singing have a back and forth with Homme and the background singing. This reminds me of the work that Homme had recently done with Iggy Pop on the Post Pop Depression project. 

The fourth track on the album is Fortress, which is apparently a track that Homme had written specifically for his kids. Its nothing too incredibly special and probably the weakest track on the album, but that’s giving a lot of negative credit, considering the track is actually a strong track on its own but is only really weak in comparison to the rest of the album which, as I’ve stated, is full of a lot of hitting tracks. It’s a rather basic track in movement but gives it the Queens approach. I’ve had people compare it to Foo Fighters in the way its a regular riff that essentially builds more and more pieces to the track as it moves. The difference being that, although, it’s a general riff, it doesn’t really sound like the riff itself; it gives off a separate vibe, to say the least.

Head Like a Haunted House. My favorite on the album. It definitely sounds like a mixture of the Cramps and the Dead Kennedys in both the way the guitars shift together and the bass / drum combo. The biggest jump out of the influence train, is Homme’s vocal again which have, of course, become one of the strongest traits on the album similar to the approach of ...Like Clockwork. Its ridiculously driving, crooning, dark and punk. I love it death. The best thing to say about it is to give it a listen, It’s that good.

The sixth track on the album follow this term that I’ve heard Homme use before: “Battleship Song”. It’s basically a song that exceeds 6 minutes. That 6 minute approach general gives a song enough time to give a strong shift and leave on a memorable note. Each Queens song generally have at least one Battleship Song and this track is definitely the Battlehsip song. It uses a boat load of synths and keyboards and use the guitars as an accent piece but build into the chorus which consist of an addition of horns and powerful stacked vocals and instrumentation. There’s a section at the end that I like to refer to as “Sexy Sax” which features a powerful saxophone solo by James King.

As the 7th track, Hideaway hits in a section of the album that’s pivotal. There’s already been a  number of strong tracks and the album needs shift especially after the amazing buildup in Unreborn Again. I consider it the only other somewhat weak track on the album only because it seems as though they didn’t really give this one enough time. In sound, it reminds me of sections of I Appear Missing, but in approach, it reminds me of River in the Road, if you stripped half of the overdubs away. It sounds amazing, regardless, but still doesn’t have the well rounded and fluid sound of the other tracks. 

The album assuredly takes off once The Evil Has Landed hits. It’s VERY throwback to the sound of Them Crooked Vultures in the riff approach but still has that bounce and hit of the Queens. It shifts around quite often but still fits into its own cracks and never moves too far out to hurt itself. As the other Battleship Song on the album, it breaks 6 minutes mostly because of an ending that blasts out of nowhere towards the end delivering a pounding, repetitive, punk style riff that builds into a strong, Queens / Homme slide guitar solo that’s probably my favorite instance on the entire album. 

The reason for the name of the album is the 9th track: Villains of Circumstance. Previously performed by Homme once before during a charity concert in a somewhat different version. It has a slow, quiet verse hitting with echoing guitar stabs and a moving bassline that build into a faster, bouncier chorus that fits wonderfully into the mix of ...Like Clockwork. 

The Cons:

I’ve somewhat pointed out the smaller cons on the album while going through the tracklist such as, Fortress being centered around a generic riff and Hideaway sounding like it was dropped as a halfway track. But there are a few other moments in the album that are worthy of being pointed out. The first being the lyrics on some of the tracks. For instance, in Domesticated Animals, during the main buildup that the entire song moves into, and depends on, the lyrics are relatively bland and not as powerful as the instrumentation played during that portion: “I’ll tell you where the gold is. It’s in the ground. You wonder where’s the freedom? It’s in the lost and found. Still not found.” This is in staunch comparison to the other strong tracks by Queens that have utilized wicked lyricism. The only other strong con that I can give the album is located in the production. This complaint isn’t really valid, in my opinion though, because the production was the intention of the band and fits the sound they were looking for from the getgo. Its the claustrophobic sound that they were looking for and hired Ronson on board for because he has a prominent usage of claustrophobic mixing but gives the clarity a fitting. 

Now it’s the 7th album by a band that’s been around for just shy of 2 decades. This album isn’t breaking any barriers that the band hasn’t already hit before, yet they show that this isn’t a lacking point in the band and that they don’t really drop a bad album, they just simply keep up the good work, having some heavy hitters along the way. This album definitely fits into a kind of trilogy of Era Vulgaris, ...Like Clockwork and Villains. The shift in sound, the movement in lyrics and plainly the progression of the albums.

Now I know that I specifically put that this as a vinyl review as well as a review of the album itself, so I try to review the album and then the vinyl along with the packaging. I forgot to implement this with the review of The Smell of Female - The Cramps and that the vinyl, as well as the packaging, helped move the rating of the album from 7 /10 to 8 /10 and how sometimes, the physical aspect of an album makes the album a little bit better, in my honest opinion. The packaging for this album is pretty funky, in a good way, I guess. Although it has only 9 tracks, its pressed onto heavyweight vinyl (I have the standard vinyl edition) and shipped as a double album in the packaging. This lets the album cover have a fold down the middle allowing more artwork and a cool addition where, what should be, Side D. It isn’t music, it’s an etching by the artist behind the album, Boneface, who was also the artist behind their previous album ...Like Clockwork. The liner notes are basic, as well. Lyrics and some small artwork. This edition of the album only cost me $25 so this was definitely a worthy buy, considering all the extras. This will assuredly give the album a slight boost in score giving it a solid,

8.5 / 10