Friday, June 28, 2013

I'd Love to Turn You On #83 - Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork


“Queens of the Stone Age are a beacon of hope on a sea of digitized and auto-tuned heathens sucking on the tit of the uninformed public. FOLLOW THE BEACON PEOPLE!”

This was my first statement on social media regarding the new Queens of the Stone Age LP, ...Like Clockwork. My opinion has not changed after twenty or so more listens since making that statement, if anything my love for this album has grown even more.


On their sixth studio effort Queens of the Stone Age have achieved that rare feat of making their greatest work to date late in their recording careers. ...Like Clockwork feels like a true amalgamation of QOTSA’s previous endeavors that only uses what works while leaving behind the noise and clutter that filled in the spaces of their previous albums.

With a full cast of characters including Elton John, Trent Reznor, Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters), Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys), Brody Dalle (Mrs. Homme) and past Queens of the Stone Age members like Dave Grohl, Nick Oliveri and Mark Lanegan joining in the fray you would think ...Like Clockwork would sound cluttered with all of its many voices and talents. In actuality the opposite is true. Each friend of the band is blended into the recording in such a way that if you had not read they were on the album you would NEVER know.

...Like Clockwork feels like the most complete Queens of the Stone Age album to date. Each song is carefully crafted and has the signature QOTSA sound and structure that fans have been clamoring for ever since Era Vulgaris was released six years ago to a so-so reception. Hard charging staples like “Keep Your Eyes Peeled,” “If I Had a Tail,” “I Sat By the Ocean” and “My God Is the Sun” fit in seamlessly with dreamy desert ballads like “The Vampyre of Time and Memory,” “I Appear Missing,” “Kalopsia” and the title track “...Like Clockwork.”

No matter what your favorite Queens of the Stone Age album is you will find something on ...Like Clockwork that will hearken you back to that album. As a life-long fan of Queens of the Stone Age fan I can honestly say that ...Like Clockwork is their most important and well-crafted album to date. None of the tracks feel out of place or unnecessary. The band has grown in grand fashion and only appears to be gaining momentum and cohesion with its current line-up of Joshua Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, Dean Fertita, Mikey Shuman and Jon Theodore.

Hear Queens of the Stone Age perform ...Like Clockwork at Red Rocks Amphitheater on August 15th 2013! Purchase the CD or LP at Twist & Shout and stay tuned to our blog as I will be reviewing the concert as well!

- Jeff M. Albright

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