Cool cats Eagles of Death Metal (Joshua Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, and Jesse Hughes) are back with their fourth studio album, Zipper Down. It’s set to release in a few months, and in anticipation they have released a cover of Boots Electric’s Complexity.
Since their first album, Peace Love Death Metal, this supergroup of sorts have created a buzz with their unique flavour of energetic rock and roll, with equally energetic live performances. As Joshua has mentioned in his radio show, The Alligator Hour, there is a chemistry between Joshua’s fast and tight rhythm and Jesse’s cool, laid back and simple writing style that leads to a great mixture in their tracks. When you hear an Eagles of Death Metal track, it’s always instantly recognisable because of this.
Complexity opens with Joshua riffing on the drums leading to a steady beat that sets the foundation for the track. The bass follows, complimenting the simple groove, and finally Jesse’s signature vocals enter the mix. The slide guitar, keyboard and tambourine in the background really make this a groovy track, filling out the spaces during the verses. Jesse is joined by accompanying harmonies for the chorus, which add a certain depth that makes this section memorable. It’s no question that the duo have nailed the secret to using layers to their advantage when producing this track, it flows very well and everything sounds very well produced.
For comparison, Jesse’s original version of this track is linked below.
Which do you prefer? Let us know in the comments!
Words by Harri Taylor