Villains
Studio album by
Queens of the Stone Age
ReleasedAugust 25, 2017 (2017-08-25)
RecordedJanuary – March 2017
Genre
Length48:00
LabelMatador
ProducerMark Ronson
Queens of the Stone Age chronology
...Like Cologne
(2013)		 Villains
(2017)		 In Times New Roman...
(2023)
Alternative cover
Cover of limited edition release
Singles from Villains
  1. "The Way You Used to Do"
    Released: June 15, 2017
  2. "The Evil Has Landed"
    Released: August 10, 2017

Villains is the seventh studio album by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age, released on August 25, 2017 through Matador. The album was announced on June 14, with a teaser trailer taking the form of a comedy skit featuring the band performing a polygraph test with Liam Lynch. The first single, "The Way You Used to Do", was released the following day along with the announcement of a world tour.[4][5] Villains is the first Queens of the Stone Age album to not feature any special guest musicians, the second to not feature Mark Lanegan, and the first to feature Jon Theodore as full time member of the band.[6]

The album received widely positive reviews and performed well commercially, topping Billboard's Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts. At the 2018 Grammy Awards ceremony, it was nominated for Best Rock Album, losing to The War on Drugs' A Deeper Understanding.[7]

Background and recording

Several of the songs from the album were previewed in some form prior to its release. The album's final track, "Villains of Circumstance", was first premiered by Josh Homme in 2014 at an acoustic concert for James Lavelle's Meltdown Festival, while "The Evil Has Landed" was performed by the band during their first gig of 2017 on June 22 at The Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls, New York.[8] "The Evil Has Landed" was released as a single on August 10, 2017. In addition to this, several snippets of songs have been featured in teaser trailers released online in promotion of the album, including a short clip of the album's opening track, "Feet Don't Fail Me", as well as an a cappella from the intro to the same song.

The album has been described as "a little looser and more uptempo than their last release ...Like Clockwork and "more carefree".[9] Homme cites his interest in dancing, working with Mark Ronson, and Ronson's collaboration with Bruno Mars "Uptown Funk" for the direction of the album.[9] Kory Grow of Rolling Stone notes, "While the guitars still have the limber crunch of Queens albums past, they're playing around easy-breezy disco beats and chilly synths on songs like "Feet Don't Fail Me" and "Un-Reborn Again.""[9] The song "Un-Reborn Again" was seen as a nod to T. Rex by critics, with the lyrics "Scaredy nose Jack/ Scaredy nose Jack/ Knowing nothing about nothing" echoing T. Rex's "Telegram Sam" with the lines "Golden Nose Slim/ Golden Nose Slim/ I knows where you’ve been",[10] a T. Rex influence that Homme mentioned during the promotion of the album.[9]

Artwork

The cover art for Villains was designed by graphic artist Boneface, who designed the artwork for Queens of the Stone Age's previous album, ...Like Clockwork.[11] It was the first time that the band had returned to an artist to request artwork on a subsequent album. In an interview with the Juxtapoz magazine, Boneface talked about returning to create a cover for the album and his working relationship with Josh Homme. In the article he stated that, "Returning was honestly a pretty daunting task. People seemed to like all the artwork I did for the last album, so I felt I had something to live up to. Also, the fact that QOTSA tend to use a different artist for each album cover made it kind of special that they decided to use me again. I think Josh likened our relationship to Hunter S. Thompson and Ralph Steadman in the initial rallying call. So after I’d decided to plunge back into the QOTSA jacuzzi, I started work the way I usually do, just trying to create something cool. I did a bunch of preliminary drawings before I’d heard any new songs or we’d even talk about the album, and one of those sketches actually ended up being the basis for the album cover."[12] Each band member was given their own artwork, with Homme's on the front cover, and the rest of the band members on the back. An alternate vinyl cover that was released exclusively through independent record stores had a light blue tint over the image, gave Josh Homme a bloody nose, and the devil behind Homme giving two middle fingers.

Reception

Commercial performance

In the Billboard charting week of September 3, 2017, Villains was the No. 3 album on the Billboard 200 upon its first week of release, selling 73,000 equivalent units, and 69,000 in traditional album sales. It was also the best selling album of the week, starting at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart.[13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.6/10[14]
Metacritic81/100[15]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
The A.V. ClubB[17]
The Guardian[18]
The Independent[19]
Mojo[20]
NME[21]
Pitchfork6.9/10[2]
Q[22]
Rolling Stone[23]
Uncut8/10[24]

Villains received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 81 based on 30 reviews, indicating 'universal acclaim'.[15]

Giving the album four out of five, AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine claimed that "At this stage, Queens of the Stone Age don't have many new tricks in their bag, but their consummate skill -- accentuated by the fact that this is the first QOTSA album that features just the band alone, not even augmented by Mark Lanegan -- means they know when to ratchet up the tempo, when to slide into a mechanical grind, and when to sharpen hooks so they puncture cleanly. All that makes Villains a dark joy, a record that offers visceral pleasure in its winking menace."[16] In his review for Rolling Stone, Will Hermes wrote, "Queens of the Stone Age always sounded like the best glam-band name ever, and while Josh Homme's free-ranging heavy rock hypnotists were never quite that, they come as close as ever on Villains."[23]

In a more reserved review for Pitchfork, contributor Zoe Camp concluded that, "Villains isn’t always so smooth and several sections fall flat, like the staccato-spiked funk that surfaces midway through “The Evil Has Landed” or the melodically static refrains on “Fortress.” Nevertheless, the stalled moments don't detract from the fun of the ride. Queens’ final destination is what matters—and a beeline into the unknown sure beats another go at the merry-go-round. Villains reaffirms what makes this band so special to begin with: their willingness to blow up the status quo as established by their riff-rock brethren, and even themselves."[2]

Amongst the most critical reviews was an article by Will Butler for Under the Radar. In the review, Butler claimed "It'll be of concern to Queens purists that Villains pulls from sounds that expired a decade ago and beyond. Dwelling on better times of a bygone era is a fundamental pillar of escapism, but it's disconcerting when one of the most uncompromising, forward-thinking bands in the rock pantheon leans so heavily on what worked in the past that they forget that the onus is on them to innovate."[25]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Year Rank Ref.
Classic Rock Classic Rock Magazine's 50 Albums of 2017
2017
1
Mojo Mojo's Top 50 Albums of 2017
2017
3
NME NME's Albums of the Year 2017
2017
35
Rolling Stone 50 Best Albums of 2017
2017
8
Rough Trade Albums of the Year
2017
21
Entertainment Weekly The 25 Best Albums of 2017
2017
25
Rolling Stone Readers' Poll: 10 Best Albums of 2017
2017
9

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Josh Homme; all music is composed by Queens of the Stone Age

No.TitleLength
1."Feet Don't Fail Me"5:41
2."The Way You Used to Do"4:34
3."Domesticated Animals"5:20
4."Fortress"5:27
5."Head Like a Haunted House"3:21
6."Un-Reborn Again"6:40
7."Hideaway"4:18
8."The Evil Has Landed"6:30
9."Villains of Circumstance"6:09
Total length:48:00

Personnel

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[72] Gold 100,000‡
United States — 130,000[73]
Summaries
Worldwide — 400,000[74]

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Fowler, Luke (August 29, 2017). "Review: Queens of the Stone Age, Villains". Pretty Much Amazing. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Camp, Zoe (August 28, 2017). "Queens of the Stone Age: Villains". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  3. ↑ Marcham, Rory (August 22, 2017). "Queens Of The Stone Age - Villains". Clash. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  4. ↑ Blais-Billie, Braudie (June 14, 2017). "Queens of the Stone Age Announce New Album Villains, Preview New Song: Watch". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 14, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  5. ↑ Blistein, Jon (June 15, 2017). "Queens of the Stone Age Preview New LP, Tour With Gritty 'The Way You Used to Do'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 11, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Josh Homme explains why there are no special guests on new Queens Of The Stone Age album 'Villains'". NME. June 17, 2017. Archived from the original on August 23, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  7. ↑ Blais-Billie, Braudie (January 28, 2018). "Grammys 2018: The War on Drugs Win Best Rock Album". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  8. ↑ May, Emma. "Listen to Queens of the Stone Age Play New Song 'The Evil Has Landed'". Spin. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Grow, Kory. "Inside Queens of the Stone Age's Dark, Danceable New LP". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 5, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  10. ↑ Hazra, Indrajit (September 27, 2017). "Dancing Queens (of the Stone Age)". economictimes.indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  11. ↑ "boneface (@b0neface) • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Queens of the Stone Age: Josh Homme and Boneface on the Art Behind "Villains"". Juxtapoz Magazine. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  13. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (September 3, 2017). "Lil Uzi Vert's 'Luv Is Rage 2' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Villains by Queens Of The Stone Age reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  15. 1 2 "Reviews and Tracks for Villains by Queens of the Stone Age". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  16. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Villains – Queens of the Stone Age". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  17. ↑ Cosores, Philip (August 24, 2017). "Queens Of The Stone Age cut loose on Villains". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  18. ↑ Hann, Michael (August 24, 2017). "Queens of the Stone Age: Villains review – Josh Homme's desert vikings beef up their myth". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  19. ↑ Gill, Andy (August 24, 2017). "Album reviews: Queens Of The Stone Age – Villains, The War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding, and more". The Independent. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  20. ↑ Cameron, Keith (September 2017). "Uptown punk". Mojo (286): 84.
  21. ↑ Cooper, Leonie (August 24, 2017). "Queens Of The Stone Age – 'Villains' Review". NME. Archived from the original on December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  22. ↑ Everley, Dave (September 2017). "Dancing Queens". Q (376): 114.
  23. 1 2 Hermes, Will (August 25, 2017). "Review: Queens of the Stone Age Get Glammy, Groove-Centric With Mark Ronson". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  24. ↑ Bonner, Michael (August 21, 2017). "Queens Of The Stone Age – Villains". Uncut. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  25. ↑ Butler, Will. "Queens of the Stone Age: Villains (Matador) Review". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Classic Rock Magazine's 50 Albums of 2017". Classic Rock. December 13, 2017. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Mojo's Top 50 Albums of 2017". Mojo. November 16, 2017. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  28. ↑ "NME's Albums of the Year 2017". NME. November 23, 2017. Archived from the original on November 30, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  29. ↑ "50 Best Albums of 2017". Rolling Stone. November 27, 2017. Archived from the original on November 27, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. November 14, 2017. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Best Albums of 2017: EW Picks 25 Greatest". Entertainment Weekly. December 6, 2017. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Readers' Poll: 10 Best Albums of 2017". Rolling Stone. December 6, 2017. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  33. 1 2 3 Villains (liner notes). Queens of the Stone Age. Matador Records. 2017.
  34. 1 2 "Queens Of The Stone Age Return As Rock's Favorite Villains". Tuned Up. Archived from the original on August 20, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Queens of the Stone Age – Villains". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  36. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Queens of the Stone Age – Villains" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  37. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Queens of the Stone Age – Villains" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  38. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Queens of the Stone Age – Villains" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  39. ↑ "Queens of the Stone Age Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  40. ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 38.Týden 2017 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  41. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Queens of the Stone Age – Villains". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  42. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Queens of the Stone Age – Villains" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  43. ↑ "Queens of the Stone Age: Villains" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  44. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Queens of the Stone Age – Villains". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  45. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Queens of the Stone Age – Villains" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  46. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2017. 36. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  47. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Queens of the Stone Age". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  48. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Queens of the Stone Age – Villains". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  49. ↑ "Charts.nz – Queens of the Stone Age – Villains". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  50. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Queens of the Stone Age – Villains". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  51. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  52. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Queens of the Stone Age – Villains". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  53. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  54. ↑ "Top 100 Albumes — Semana 35: del 25.08.2017 al 31.08.2017" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  55. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Queens of the Stone Age – Villains". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  56. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Queens of the Stone Age – Villains". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  57. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  58. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  59. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  60. ↑ "Queens of the Stone Age Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  61. ↑ "Queens of the Stone Age Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  62. ↑ "Queens of the Stone Age Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  63. ↑ "ARIA End of Year Albums 2017". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  64. ↑ "Ö3 Austria Top 40 – Album-Charts 2017". oe3.orf.at. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  65. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten Albums 2017". Ultratop. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  66. ↑ "Rapports Annuels Albums 2017". Ultratop. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  67. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2017". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  68. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 2017". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  69. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2017 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  70. ↑ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2017" Archived February 14, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  71. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2018". Ultratop. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  72. ↑ "British album certifications – Queens of the Stone Age – Villains". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  73. ↑ "Metal By Numbers 2/28: The charts will find youMetal Insider". February 28, 2018. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  74. ↑ "Los lanzamientos de álbumes de más éxito global 2018". Anuarios SGAE. p. 27. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.