March 29th / 30th, 2014 - A Rated R Spring Blonde

One more for you tonight/this morning my friends!  How's 'about some "Rated R" from Queens Of The Stone Age (QOTSA) and a Spring Blonde Belgian Style Ale from New Belgium Brewing?  Hell yes!!

The breakthrough album for the band, "Rated R" (also called "R" or "Rated X" on vinyl) is the 2nd full-length studio album by underground hard rock band QOTSA and was released on June 6th, 2000.  Both a commercial and critical success, "Rated R" launched QOTSA into mainstream radio play and is a favorite of long-time fans.  Thematically, the album's lyrics explored censorship, the drug culture, alcohol consumption, sexuality, and paranoia.  Musically, the band incorporated punk, post-punk, garage rock, stoner rock, metal, R&B, and experimental rock on "Rated R", creating both a compelling and rocking artistic experience.  Of the album, frontman Josh Homme once said,  "Our first record announced our sound. This one added that we’re different and weird."  Tracks like "Feel Good Hit Of The Summer", "The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret", "Auto Pilot", "Monsters In The Parasol", "In The Fade", "Tension Head", and "I Think I Lost My Headache" convey a strong sense of artistic integrity and straight ahead rockin' purism.  Personnel on "Rated R" included the following:

Josh Homme – vocals, guitar, percussion (tracks 3, 8), drums (track 4), piano (track 10), backing vocals (track 4), producer, mixing, concept

Nick Oliveri – bass, percussion (track 8), guitar (track 4), vocals (tracks 4, 7, 9), backing vocals (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 11), concept, art conception

Dave Catching – electric piano (tracks 1, 2, 8), piano (track 5), B3 (track 4), guitar (tracks 6, 7), 12-string guitar (track 10), lap steel (tracks 1, 11)

Nick Lucero – drums (tracks 2, 3, 5, 8, 11), percussion (track 3, 4)

Gene Trautmann – drums (tracks 1, 6, 7, 9)

Chris Goss – bass (track 4), percussion (track 1), backing vocals (tracks 4, 5, 6), producer, grand piano (track 1), noise piano (track 2)

Mark Lanegan – vocals (track 8), backing vocals (tracks 3, 4, 11)

Barrett Martin – percussion (tracks 5, 10), steel drum (track 11), vibes (tracks 2, 5)

Mike Johnson – backing vocals (track 3)

Peter Stahl – backing vocals (track 2)

Rob Halford – backing vocals (track 1)

Nick Eldorado – backing vocals (tracks 1, 7)

Wendy Rae Fowler (Wendy Ray Moan) – backing vocals (tracks 1, 7)

Scott Mayo – horns (track 11), baritone sax (track 2)

Fernando Pullum – horns (track 11), flugal horn (track 7)

Reggie Young – horns (track 11)

Spring Blonde Belgian Style Ale from New Belgium Brewing is a traditional Belgian Pale Ale.  Originally brewed to compete with German Pilsners in the 1940s, Belgian Pale Ales are characterized by sweet and toasty malt overtones and very smooth drinkability.  This definitely is the case for the Spring Blonde.  It pours a light golden amber color with a thin, white head that leave little residual foam.  The nose is very malty with notes of crackers, biscuits, and toasted bread, along with some more subtle lemon zest notes.  Light-bodied, the mouthfeel is crisp and dry.  The flavor is very bright, very malty, and lemony.  There are notes of biscuit, hearty grains, crackers, and more subtle fruit and spice notes like lemon, pear, white pepper (in the finish), and hints of clove.  It goes down easy and has a nice, pleasantly bitter finish.  A very drinkable and sexy beer, the Spring Blonde fits in very well with the intensely interesting and compelling work of QOTSA!

Cheers and goodnight!!