CD Review – Mini Mansions (QOTSA fans rejoice!)
Mini Mansions
Rekords Rekords
On hiatus from Queens of the Stone Age, bassist Michael Shuman grabbed a couple of friends and formed this psych-rock group that is a little trippy even by QOTSA standards. “The Room Outside” is like The Beatles on a whole lot more coke then they were during the “Sgt. Pepper” days. There is definitely a heavy QOTSA influence, but you can hear other ghosts, like Elliott Smith on “Crime of the Season.” The lead single “Monk” is a strange brew of chamber pop, pulsating rock and trippy dance party. “Thriller Escapade” closes out the album with an unsettling cabaret feel that sounds like a melding of The Dresden Dolls and Frank Bango. The debut self-titled album from Mini Mansions will please any fan of the slightly-off-kilter.
