Ash (3 stars)
Meltdown
It's hard to believe that Irish pop-rockers Ash have never hit it big here, with guitar-driven songs are full of infectious hooks, crunchy riffs and sing-along lyrics. Their last album, 2001's Free All Angels, was a pure pop joy, and at least half of the songs had potential to be massive hits (five of them actually were in the UK). On their fourth album, Meltdown, Ash have consciously adopted a more "American" style, recording in Los Angeles and amping up the guitars for a heavier, meatier sound.
Although there's nothing like the transcendent hooks of Free All Angels' "Walking Barefoot" or "Burn Baby Burn," tunes like "Won't Be Saved" and the ballad "Starcrossed" could easily find a home on American radio, and the thick guitar sound is carried off well by singer-guitarist Tim Wheeler and guitarist Charlotte Hatherley. There are some blistering solos and meaty riffs, but Ash loses a bit of its uniqueness in the bid to join the mainstream hard-rock scene. Meltdown is still better than most American hard rock, but Ash probably would have a better chance at success just by being themselves.
Queens of the Stone Age (3.5 stars)
Lullabies to Paralyze
"Uneven" is a reviewer's weasel word, a shortcut for explaining fluctuating enthusiasm for a work you thought you'd like better. But what do you say about a disc with some great numbers, like "Little Sister"—a gem of melodic, driving thrash—and a dull-edged, too-long jam like "Someone's in the Wolf," which goes on for seven minutes, four of them fruitless?
At least Lullabies to Paralyze is sonically consistent—even the bad songs are as hard as caliche, and yes, I'm talking about you, "Burn the Witch." Your heavy plod, provided in part by guest guitarist Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, needs a lot of volume to be interesting. Meanwhile, "The Blood Is Love," one of those songs that mistakes droning for hypnotic, sounds like music to run a meth lab by, and I don't mean that in the good way.
But on the flip side, there's "Everybody Knows that You Are Insane," which is prehistoric, and I do mean that in a good way. The best qualities of Josh Homme are displayed: the monster groove, the rough hookiness that clings in your head. It's even better than "Little Sister," which Rolling Stone picked as the first great hard-rock single of 2005. There are plenty of moments like these here. As for the rest, just turn up the volume.