keepers - 4 (not including tracks re-recorded w/QOTSA)
Funny that the standout tracks have nothing to do with the typical Queens Of The Stone Age sound. "Holey Dime"****, is sung by Alain Johannes, and driven mostly by PJ Harvey's melodica. In fact, PJ Harvey is featured on a good share of the disc's best tracks. Harvey sings "A Girl Like Me"****, which boils slowly like a mirage with a phased guitar, and delivers a chilling vocal on Mexican ballad "There Will Never Be A Better Time"****, which only features Harvey and Chris Goss. 47 second "I'm Here For Your Daughter" shows off Johannes'insane Mexican flamenco guitar chops, and Johannes and Dean Ween create evil-bluegrass, or country on psychedelics on "Creosote"****. Though longer than necessary for a song composed of one riff, "Subcutaneous Phat", describes that riff nicely, and "Covered In Punk's Blood" is just long enough for its frantic, angular attack. "Shepherd's Pie" is an amusing coda to the mind-altered proceeding until the second vocalist comes in and hijacks the mike. Whoever that vocalist is, apparently Josh Homme has the good sense to stay out of a large part of the sessions and let the magic happen.
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