5. ...Like Clockwork by Queens of the Stone Age (2013) - thoughts on albums I haven't heard

American rock titans Queens of the Stone Age have been making music for well over a decade now. Over this time period they’ve made many fantastic albums such as 2002’s “Songs for the Deaf” and 2007’s “Era Vulgaris”. Last year saw the group return to the music scene with album number six “…Like Clockwork”. With many critically acclaimed albums under the belt, you would’ve thought that reliability and consistency would be firmly stapled to the band’s reputation right?

Well, before we get to that, it must be said that this album is the epitome of the term “grower”. At first it appears that “…Like Clockwork” is a bog standard rock album but there’s actually a lot more to it than said description. Production wise, there’s certainly been a fair bit of thought put into the guitar sounds, whether it’s the dreary wah wah’s of “Keep Your Eyes Peeled” or the filthy bluesy squelches of “Smooth Sailing”, there’s definitely something that will keep your interest at its peak at all times.

There also seems to be an aura of really creative songwriting on this album too. Track number seven “Fairweather Friends” has singer songwriter legend Elton John make a cameo on piano and backing vocals. You may not notice this at first but keep an ear out for his twiddly keyboard riffs and brief backing vocals, they really help add an extra dimension to the song.

It would also appear that Sir Elton has had a significant impact on some of the other tracks on this album as well. Early number “Vampyre of Time and Money” has hints of Elton John thanks to the piano melodies and the structure. Title track “...Like Clockwork” also seems to have had the same influences eased onto it.

As a whole, “…Like Clockwork” proves that Queens of the Stone Age can deliver the goods yet again. The album isn’t perfect; there are minor moments where things seem a tad uninspired. For example, the guitar chord rhythms on “I Sat by the Ocean” are very repetitive and “Kalopsia” takes a while to really get going. These are only tiny flaws and they don’t stop this from being a solid collection of songs though. Give this album several listens and it’s guaranteed that you’ll find yourself loving it more with each listen. This is a fine album with a decent amount of depth.  

OVERALL RATING: 7/10

BEST SONGS: SMOOTH SAILING, FAIRWEATHER FRIENDS, VAMPYRE OF TIME AND MONEY.