The 'Vulgar Era' was born from daily drives through Hollywood
In short: Unlike their previous desert-inspired masterpiece, Queens of the Stone Age found inspiration in the grit of urban life. Frontman Josh Homme traded wide-open horizons for the industrial atmosphere of Los Angeles, crafting a record he described as feeling like 'dirt, clearly seen.'
Released on June 12, 2007, Era Vulgaris marked a significant sonic shift for Queens of the Stone Age. While their 2002 album Songs for the Deaf was fueled by tedious drives through the Southern Californian desert, this record drew from Homme's daily commutes through Hollywood. He envisioned a sound that was 'dark, hard, and electrical,' comparing the aesthetic to that of a construction worker. The album's title is a reference to the Latin term for Common Era. Homme chose it because he felt we are currently living in such an age. He expressed genuine excitement about being part of this specific period.
The production process was notably insular. Recorded between July 2006 and April 2007 at studios including Cherokee, Steakhouse, and Sound City, the project received 'exactly zero input' from their label, Interscope Records. Guitarist Troy van Leeuwen noted it was his longest period of total focus on a single record, spanning ten months. The album featured guest appearances by Julian Casablancas and Mark Lanegan, though high-profile collaborators like Trent Reznor and Billy Gibbons were sidelined by scheduling conflicts. The primary contributors were Josh Homme, Troy van Leeuwen, Joey Castillo, Alain Johannes, and Chris Goss. The band also utilized a unique production name, The Fififf Teeners. For the supporting tour, they brought in new members Dean Fertita and Michael Shuman.
Musically, the band moved away from the 'hollow-body' guitar tones of Lullabies to Paralyze toward heavy, crunchy guitars with electronic influences. Critics were divided on this pivot; while some praised its 'brand new retro' fusion of punk, rock, and southern grit, others criticized it as listless or lacking originality. Despite a Metacritic score of 75, the album sold approximately 198,000 copies in the U.S., a decline from the nearly one million copies sold by Songs for the Deaf. The cover art features two lightbulb characters named Bulby and Stumpy. These figures were designed by Morning Breath Inc. to satirize ideas that are not actually great. The packaging also included a booklet with a pin-up advertisement styled after 1950s marketing.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Era Vulgaris (album)
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