FRIDAY

Poppier than you might think but with lots of stoner-rock riffs to bang your bong to, Queens of the Stone Age are second-generation Soundgarden for kids who were too small to reach the 4-footer when the original was around. Composed of Kyuss alumni singer-guitarist Josh Homme and bassist Nick Oliveri, along with a revolving cast of others including Dave Grohl, Mark Lanegan, and Dave Catching, Queens of the Stone Age made quite the stir with their 2000 sophomore full-length, R, which included “Feel Good Hit of the Summer,” a bouncy celebration of “nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, marijuana, Ecstasy, and alcohol.” And don’t forget “c-c-c-c-cocaine.” Though nothing sounds quite as addictive on the band’s new one, Songs for the Deaf has its moments. “No One Knows” features a Spoon-like guitar riff as spartan and economical as a Reagan-era school lunch program, and the catchy “Go With the Flow” takes the piano figure from “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and runs with it all the way to the bank. (Wonder if Dave Grohl had anything to do with that?) “Another Love Song” also pays homage to garage rock, this time without anyone’s having to think about those pesky royalties. And the obvious cap-tipping/laziness doesn’t end there: the Blizzard of Ozz-like morbidity of “Song for the Dead,” the utter Led Zeppelinosity of “Hangin’ Tree,” the unbearable Stone Temple Pilotness of “Song for the Deaf.” It’s enough to make me sing: “God save the Queens/It ain’t my cup of beans.” Or something like that. Queens of the Stone Age play with …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and Burning Brides at 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $20. (202) 393-0930 (Michael Little)