Queens of the Stone Age, Jaguar Love

Why would an all-male rock band dub itself “Queens” of the Stone Age? According to frontman Josh Homme, Kings “would be too macho…rock should be heavy enough for the boys and sweet enough for the girls.” True to its name, since ‘97 the band has blazed a trail of speed-rock songs driven by high-velocity guitar melodies and seductive vocals. Its merry-go-round of contributing musicians has included Dave Grohl and long-time floater Mark Lanegan, and Julian Casablancas sang on their June-released release Era Vulgaris. Listening to the tracks, it’s clear QotSA will use any musical means necessary—a hard, electric Nine-Inch-Nails buzz (“Sick, Sick, Sick”) or a Temptations-like funk (“Make It Wit Chu”)—to fuel their explosive rock. Rock that’s simply, in the words of guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, “slam bang.”

More on this show from The Short List:

Jaguar Love

Last month, following months of gossip and speculation, the Blood Brothers officially announced that they have broken up, thus ending their decade-long run. But the signs have been there for a while—their label, V2, buckled and folded, and then there was Jaguar Love, a newly formed group comprised of Portland-bound lead vocalist Johnny Whitney

and guitarist Cody Votolato, along with drummer/producer J. Clark. Jaguar Love pick up the pieces where Blood Brothers left off, with much of that band's hyper-rabid, slit-wrist angst intact, swelling and floating in a turbulent sea of cryptic emotions, yet never shying away from a nice melodic hook here and there. It's telling that a band only four months old, without a record in stores, has been able to land a string of West Coast dates opening for the desert-singed rockers Queens of the Stone Age. Maybe it was a good thing Blood Brothers broke up after all? TRAVIS RITTER

Listen to a sample of Jaguar Love's "Highways of Gold."

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Tue., Dec. 18, 8 p.m., 2007