Disco de Desert Sessions: “Desert Sessions, Vols. 9 & 10”

This latest installment of "Desert Sessions" entitled "I See You Hearin' Me (Vol. 9)" and "I Heart Disco (Vol. 10)" respectively, is proof that great music can still be made sans high priced producer and big name record label. In fact the music contained on this disc is so good, only a song by song review can do it justice, so lets do it.

Vol. 9 "I See You Hearin' Me"

1. Dead In Love--The albums strong opening song begins with a guitar riff that sounds stuck somewhere between Alice Cooper and AC/DC. Pretty much a straightforward rocker until the timer hits 3:00, at which point the listener is treated to an excellent outro, complete with clarinet, piano and slide guitar.

2. I Wanna Make It WitChu--Undeniably the best song on the album. Great vocals, great musicianship, all around wonderful song. You'll be listenin' to this one over and over.

3. Covered In Punks Blood--A song that sounds pretty much what the name implies. The "hardest" song on the whole album. Nothin' but guitar, bass and some awesome drumming.

4. There Will Never Be A Better Time--A stripped down song featuring PJ Harvey on vox and Chris Goss on guitar. The beginning isn't bad; however the song eventually grows old, with PJ whining along with a boring, repetitive guitar riff. I find myself skipping this frequently.

5. Crawl Home--Featuring PJ on lead vox and distorted bass and Al Johannes providing "relatively surfish guitar". Good vocals, good chorus, good song.

6. I'm Here For Your Daughter--Shortest song on the album (44 seconds). Morbid but funny lyrics and a funky little guitar lick make this "song" quite interesting.

Vol. 10 "I Heart Disco"

7. Powdered Wig Machine--Not extremely good, not bad either. Kinda middle of the road. See what you think.

8. In My Head...Or Something--Catchy, very catchy. Could be a B-side to a single off of QOTSA "Songs For The Deaf".

9. Holey Dime--Starts off with a nice lap steel and evolves into a rhythm heavy song. Good stuff.

10. A Girl Like Me--A half sung, half spoken word song featuring PJ rambling in cryptic lyrics about a failed relationship. Another middle of the road song.

11. Creosote--When I first heard this I was remined of Helmets country/blues inspired song "Sam Hell". "Creosote" kinda falls along the same lines. Nice little piece of weird music.

12. Subcutaneous Phat--A nice groovy song with a cool steady beat. Hints of guitar here and there and no vocals, save for the "Oooohhs" in the background. Very listenable.

13. Bring It Back Gentle--Sort of brings to mind a darker version of Ween, much darker. Good raw chorus.

14. Shepherds Pie--A you-had-to-be-there "song". All it is, is a bunch of people singing "shepherds pie" over and over again. Not the best way to end an album, but what are you gonna do??

All in all "Desert Sessions (Vol 9&10)" is a great album filled with great music. There must be something in the water out in Joshua Tree,CA.

Having never heard any of the previous Desert Sessions, I was expecting a strong A Perfect Circle vibe from this edition of Josh Homme's pet project, what with the presence of Twiggy Ramirez, Josh Freeze, and ex-APC guitarist Troy Van L. I was pleasantly surprised to discover how different this album was from that band, and how much it veered away from the QOTSA feel.

Reviewers so far have noted the amazing vocals contributed by PJ Harvey on various tracks, particularly "There Will Never Be A Better Time." I can't argue with them; tracks like that one, which gives me the shivers every time I hear it, as well as "Crawl Home" and "A Girl Like Me" are simply outstanding. I hope she shows up on future Desert Sessions as well. Dean Ween's influence is more subtle, but can definitely be felt in "Powdered Wig." And songs like "Dead In Love," "I Wanna Make It Wit Chu," and "In My Head...Or Something" are very reminiscent of early QOTSA albums.

If you're not familiar with the Desert Sessions, you can imagine this disc as Queens of the Stone Age stoned: more mellow, a bit stranger, and willing to let all of their buddies go crazy in the studio. If this sounds up your alley, then I say jump on this album. It's easily one of the best stoner-rock CDs that I've heard in a while.

By the way, my votes for "song most likely to show up on a future QOTSA album" go to "Powdered Wig Machine," "Dead In Love," "In My Head..." and "Holey Dime," in order of likelihood.

If you like QOTSA at all, or are just looking for some groovy rock to drip and bleed from your speakers - look no further. While past desert sessions have been more of a buffet for me, this set delivers a full course meal. The usual variety is on tap here, but somehow it all coheres into a mind-melting full length that amazes with its consistantly great tunes. The PJ Harvey tunes in particular blew me away - "There Will Never be Another Time" sends a chill down my spine every time. Yes, there are a couple of throwaway songs that were probably more fun to record than hear - but that lasts for a total of probably 5 minutes on this otherwise awesome album. I'm a huge fan of QOTSA and, while being a lot less heavy and altogether different, this is just as satisfying as any of their albums. Get it, stupid.

I don't know if I like this album as much as DS 7&8, but I felt compelled to review it after seeing young Chris's review.

Young Chris, you are right. You are absolutely correct.

You and your golden ears are the only ones who have "paid attention to the lineup of Desert Sessions albums at all". They get weird! They get all CRAZY! ZANY!

The bottom line is that this is like ALL of the other Desert Sessions recordings. Never to see the light of radio, just cool musically-minded folks trying some new stuff.

So it is musicians getting together and experimenting. So it has a harder edge, so what? It is still new and fresh and exciting.

Not weird.

This CD is awesome. If your a fan of QOTSA then you have to get it. There is alot more texture to this CD then what QOTSA puts out, but it definitely rocks. I just wonder which of these songs will make it to the next QOTSA album.