R
Trippy, forceful, and timeless,Rated Ris rife with heavy, heady, trance-inducing post-hippie creations that recallSoundgardenandFu Manchu. Singer/guitarist Josh Homme, founder of the defunct but much-worshipped "stoner-rock" bandKyuss, heads the group. And while he's joined by guests such asMark Laneganand Barrett Martin of theScreaming Trees, it's the oddball songs rendered by Homme's sexy voice and searing guitars that make this album sing. Kudos too, to the producer Chris Goss, formerly of another remarkable band, Masters of Reality. TheBowie-like surrealism of "Auto Pilot" makes it this set's classic; in fact, much ofRated Rpresents dark, Cocteau-like idiosyncrasies, often aided by touches of surprising humor. In the tongue-in-cheek-titled "The Feel-Good Hit of the Summer," the line "Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, marijuana, Ecstasy, and alcohol" is repeated like a mantra, while "Better Living Through Chemistry," is steeped in hallucinogenic sounds. The frenetic "Monsters in the Parasol" is sonically rich, its primal riffing best ingested loud and via headphones, while "Quick and to the Pointless," boasts a raucousMC5/Blue Cheervibe. This wondrous sophomore effort defies all categorization, except cool.--Katherine Turman