vendredi 15 Jan 2010, 9h34m
The US music scene is eager to bring the world nice and heavy productions. And Queen Of The Stone Age is never afraid of multiplying avatars, through members projects. In the crossline stays Sweethead, the band founded by QTSOA's guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen. Therefor, he got on with weird friends : the rythm pair of Marc Lanegan Band and the newcomer singer Serrina Sims. All that smells like good fun for musicians gathered around beers and bourbon bottle(s).
Sweethead souns all like a heavy US rock, very very produced (even blond Serrina's voice, pretty well balanced already, doesn't escape from overdubs). It looks like Sweethead would be designed to trust college radios' charts. Have an ear at this musical tour, going from so-called metal "The Great Disruptors" to the speedy punky track Turned Our Back, with some bluesy prints here and there, assumed influences from White Stripes for the rythms. We may believe that the four guys wanted to let us visit the various faces of rock made in USA.
But, and yes, there is a "but" obviously. This is pretty well done, far beyond the only studio work and the good production which gives a particular taste to songs we wouldn't have listened to elsewhere. There's this little sultry side, claimed by the band itself. And it's not only due to the warm and sensual voice of Serrina. And thereby, we start to understand that Sweethead was set up by the four ones just to have fun, real fun, so done seriously.
And when one may have a look at Sweethead live, one sure will recognize that they bring heavy noise. The studio work is left behind and replaced by a pure energy, something that stood mastered and refrained on the LP. Sweethead delivers the best of itself on stage and, now, we are to salute this album as the one Shirley Manson and Garbage must be sick to death not being able to release it before.