Scissor Sisters - "Live In Victoria Park - London 2011" DVD

Like a modern-day hybrid of the B-52s and Queen, New York-based Scissor Sisters' provocative amalgamation of disco, rock, club, and pop proves both theatrical and flamboyant. They are a fun night out, no doubt, and this DVD is ample evidence.

This pro-shot multi-cam festival set is perfectly recorded. There's the anthemic pop of the catchy "Fire With Fire", the befuddling dance-funk cover of "Comfortably Numb", and the sleazy disco trash of "Filthy/Gorgeous", among the many crowd-pleasing favorites here. "Live In Victoria Park" is a fine document of the energetic and dance-worthy Scissor Sisters live experience, and can be summed up in one word -- fun.

(Wienerworld)

Scissor Sisters site

Mark Lanegan Band - "Blues Funeral" CD

After his brilliant work with UK electro-blues group the Soulsavers, Lanegan returns with a similar direction on his own, throwing down some dark-edged sounds (as the title reflects) in his own whiskey-soaked, inimitable way. Songs about drinking, hard-living, redemption, and cheating death are the order of the day. Standouts include "St. Louis Elegy" and "Riot In My House", which features one Joshua Homme. (4AD Records)

Mark Lanegan official site

Queens Of The Stone Age - "Queens Of The Stone Age" album

With his impressive resume as guitarist/vocalist for stoner-metal legends Kyuss, Josh Homme debuted his Queens Of The Stone Age project in 1998 with this long out-of-print gem. Now on deluxe double-LP with bonus tracks, this self-titled album (on Hommes' own Rekords imprint) exhibits the diverse sonic palette that Homme and company have since synthesized and perfected in recent years.
"You Would Know" is a weird pop song that's catchy in a Gary Numan-meets-Ween fashion, whereas "How To Handle A White Rope" is a heavy, sludgy rock song with a melodic pop slant. "Mexicola" is a potent stab of thick & meaty post-Hawkwind riffage, and "Hispanic Impressions" is a silly but heavy 3-minute track with no discernible relation to its namesake. Some of the previously-unheard bonus tracks are as interesting as the original LP, with "Spiders And Vinegaroons" being a top-shelf space-out jam with exotic overtones. QOTSA have found the unlikely path between indie rock and stoner metal, and they've followed that vague formula to major commercial success. This debut remains a strong document of the band's formative years, and it's a superbly catchy, creative, and fun album of out-there grooves from the fringes. (Rekords Rekords)

Queens Of The Stone Age site