Album Review: Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork

Queens of the Stone Age
...Like Clockwork
Rating: Grrrr

Josh Homme brings his revolving cast of support players back to life for Queens of the Stone Age's sixth album ...Like Clockwork. In the past, Homme has sometimes bitten off more than he could chew, littering his work with so many guest stars that you felt like he was crashing Timbaland's studio. A lot of his collaborations make sense, for example adding drum god Dave Grohl in the mix on Songs for the Deaf, to me, QOTSA's best and most consistent record. However, some just plain don't work and feel like Homme leaning on the shoulders of his famous friends, i.e., Julian Casablanca's vocals on "Sick Sick Sick," off Era Vulgaris, or Jack Black's "handclaps" on "Burn The Witch" from Lullabies To Paralyze. But more often than not, he gets it right, and thankfully on ...Like Clockwork there is a seamless quality to the flow of the record, and while there are some very heavy hitters here (Trent Reznor and Sir Elton John), no one sticks out like a sore thumb, and they are nicely integrated into the QOTSA fold. In the past, my main issue with QOTSA albums was the fact that there would be two or three amazing, killer singles and the rest, while not horrible, felt an awful lot like filler. Going into first listens of ...Like Clockwork this weighed heavy in the back of my mind, however, I was pleasantly surprised how cohesive and solid this record was.

For me, QOTSA excel when they just let the riffs rip and the volume amp up. There are almost too many treasures here to choose from, with Homme feeling more inspired that he has in years. The blistering onslaught of "My God Is The Sun" drives on forcefully under Grohl's fierce drums, squalling guitar work, and fuzz bass,



album highlight "If I Had A Tail" is a proto-Rolling Stones bluesified strut,



"I Sat By The Ocean" is a slowly building track of intertwining guitars, handclaps, and a steady backbeat,



while the raucous "Fairweather Friends" features an all-star cast of supporting players (Trent Reznor, Sir Elton John, Nick Oliveri, and Mark Lanegan) but somehow they all fit into the mix together with no showboating.

And there are lots of more toned down moments that add to the flow of the record while not making things come to a full stop. "The Vampyre of Time and Memory" is a elegantly goth ballad, focusing on gorgeous piano and Homme's supple voice, closing title track is a surprisingly moving piano ballad with Homme stretching his voice high into his upper register, and "Kalopsia" is an atmospheric, relatively understated collaboration between Homme and Reznor,



Seriously, I was expecting ...Like Clockwork to be another middling record from QOTSA that I would pilfer for the killer singles, leaving the flotsom and jetsum of the filler tracks culled on the wayside. Imagine my immense surprise when the record turned out not only to be one of QOTSA's best records but, quite frankly, also one of the best rock records of the year. Sorry Mr. Homme for ever doubting you and your talent.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.