After several listens I like it, but I wish it had a few "harder" songs on it. It's a bit too laid back for my personal tastes, but still a very good album. Songs for the Deaf remains my favorite from them, though.
Huge QOTSA fan. Saw them at the Metro Chicago August 3rd. Maybe my 7th or 8th time seeing them live. Listening to the new songs live gave me a better appreciation for the new album. I was digging "My God is the Sun" and "I appear Missing" but wasnt sure how I felt about the rest if the album. After hearing live "I Sat by the Ocean" , ""If I Had a Tail" & "The Vampyre of Time and Memory" I finally heard the master craft of this complete album.
It all feels and sounds real especially when you read how much of the album was inspired by Josh's time spent on a bed for three months after a botched knee surgery a year or so ago.