Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris

Yes, they favor heavy-duty riffage and jackhammer beats. But QOTSA are no hard-rock Neanderthals. There’s an intelligence to Josh Homme’s modus operandi that even pop queens like Nelly Furtado find appealing. The band’s fifth album offers the usual serving of thrashy tracks such as “3’s & 7’s,” the corrosive “Battery Acid” and the frenetic “Sick, Sick, Sick,” featuring the Strokes’ Julian Casablancas. But there are also such softer psych sounds like “Into the Hollow” and the oh-so-sweet-and-sexy “Make It Wit Chu.”

June 12