Noise Floor
Noise Floor is a monthly blog post for 88.7 the pulse, where I look into my favorite alternative albums and write about what makes me love them! Feel free to recommend your own directly to me at NoiseFloor4@gmail.com and you might just see your favorite get the attention it deserves. This is going to be the last noise floor article until summer break is over!
Album Overview
Songs for the Deaf is an album by Queens of the Stone Age released in 2002. The album’s got a concept to sew the songs all together, many songs start or end with mock radio bits, as the subject flips through radio channels on a drive through California.
It’s one of the best hard rock albums of all time, and the rewards clearly show it. It hit 17th on the Billboard 200, 1st on the OCC’s UK Rock and Metal albums chart., and the single No One Knows peaked at 51st on the Billboard Hot 100. It is certified Gold by the RIAA, and has similarly prestigious awards in other countries.
Before Noise Floor
Almost 2 years ago, I had covered this album in a full album rating I put on the indie social media platform, SpaceHey, to an audience of nobody. I had made 3 reviews on that account before abandoning it, including this album and Linkin Park’s first 2 albums. I have chosen not to review this blog before writing to avoid “self-plagiarism” and to keep my opinions fresh and recent.
Although these very casual reviews had no success on their own, each one made me listen to music with more depth than I had before, and made me appreciate albums as a medium far more.
No One Knows
No One Knows is the song that introduced me to the album, and to this day it’s tied for my favorite on the album with 2 other songs I’ll get to later. The verses very staccato instrumental provide a very strong forward tension, only eased by the vocals. The steady pulse make it very easy to move to.
All the tension is finally resolved in the verse, with the guitar and drums filling out and the haunting melody sung by Josh Homme. While the harmonic rhythm in the verse is rather stagnant, staying on one chord for a while, the chorus sharply contrasts it with the guitar going up and down the scale every beat.
The bridge transition is very smooth, feeling just like an extended chorus, until the sudden drop into the guitar solo. I’m always a sucker for drops in rock music and this album is full of them, almost too many in some songs.
Song For The Deaf
Title tracks usually are one of the best on the album, and this one’s no exception. It starts you off with a repetitive riff and a tom heavy drum part. It’s got a very strong pulse, really common on this album, and overall feels really dark and heavy. The song is pretty empty in the high end for the first part of the song, combined with the falling riff and almost spoken vocals it paints a very dark soundscape.
The song breaks out in the chorus, with a much brighter guitar part, with a similarly bright vocal section. After the first chorus the song is overall a little brighter, although only by comparison. As much praise as I can give it, it’s just not quite interesting enough to make the top 3 for me.
You Think I Ain’t Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire
Millionaire starts off the album very strong, showcasing some gnarly screams you don’t hear almost anywhere else on their discography. Paired with a simple riff and drums to keep it going forward, it never gets too busy in any part of the song. I love all the guitar riffs sprinkled throughout, they’re present in every song but definitely my favorite in this song.
On the topic of favorites, I think this one has my favorite radio bits. Almost every line makes me laugh, clone radio is such a hilarious parody and me and my friends often quote lines from it.
I had originally hated this song on first listen to the album, but it has done a complete 180, joining the 3 way tie for first place.
God Is In The Radio
God is in the radio, what in the world is he doing there? I believe this song and the segment before it parody commercial Christianity and its consequences. I’m not usually a lyrical analyst, but this one’s really on the nose so I’ll mention it.
Beyond that, it’s got a very steady rhythm that’s incredibly danceable. The song is repetitive at its core, but it slowly builds and builds to keep it interesting, and the song always changes before it can truly get boring.
Go With The Flow
No One Knows is by far the most popular song on the album, but Go With the Flow is close behind. It’s a really traditional rock song, but it executes the formula perfectly. Its got a very simple arrangement, only 4 chords throughout. But it makes up for it in fills. The guitar licks throughout and the drums in the chorus do so much to break up the monotony. I love the back and forth vocals in the chorus, accompanied by the hums.
This song is one of the first I recommend to people when promoting Queens of the Stone Age because of its palatability, though its simplicity prevents it from reaching top 3, unlike the next song ill cover, Song for the Dead
Song For The Dead
Song for the Dead is my final favorite song on the album. It starts with an iconic riff in the left ear and sparse drum fill. Together they make one of my favorite intros. Its incredibly fast and builds all this tension and drops it into the verse with an absolutely gnarly riff at half the speed and ominous vocals. The choral vocals nest in the right ear and drums fill the left, creating a very wide stereo field. In comes the lyrics with this gravely vocal style that’s truly one of a kind.
This song is incredibly dynamic, from speed, panning, to vocal styles. One of my favorite little details i only recently noticed is an operatic voice, or maybe a theremin in the chorus, its rather hard to hear but if you’re listening close you can hear this incredibly high pitched part within that vocal stack.
You’re hit with a bridge right about 3 minutes in. A sudden drop and a wailing guitar, lead into a long solo. The drums are still panned hard left, except specifically the reverb on the snare, and most of the guitar is hard right. The panning choices are really interesting, but they work better than you’d think, and create a very intriguing mix. Afterwards the verse comes back, but with sudden drops and cuts.
The song can never quite seem to end, with several teases near the end before a final climactic finale with the drums and guitar perfectly with intertwined fills and a big buildup.
Rewind and Review
If you want a great hard rock album to listen to, check out Songs for the Deaf. Its got so many 10/10 songs and works really well as a cohesive artwork. Its one of the first albums I had listened to all the way through, and the second album I had ever reviewed. It was a pleasure to come back to such an iconic album.
Wild Card | Mosquito Song
Songs for the deaf has a hidden bonus track at the end, that track is Mosquito Song. It has completely unique instrumentation, throwing away the electric guitar bass and drum kit in favor of an orchestra. The song starts with a beautiful acoustic guitar riff and haunting lyrics.
A piano transition begins at 2 minutes, marking the start of a long instrumental section. Booming drums and orchestral percussion fill out the song before an acoustic guitar solo. I have never heard anything like it in a rock album, and is a fantastic orchestration. While it didn’t make my top 3, it is really close, and is definitely one of my favorite Queens of the Stone Age songs overall. It makes a great end to an album, and a great end to an article.
Ribbon Bow
That’s all for the month! Check back in after summer for the next issue. If you leave a recommendation at NoiseFloor4@gmail.com it might just be an album you love! Have a fantastic Summer!
