thu 21/11/2024

CD: Queens of the Stone Age - Like Clockwork | reviews, news & interviews

CD: Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork

CD: Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork

Josh Homme's rockers are back - and they've brought their pals

There's little that hasn't been thrown into the mix on '...Like Clockwork'

Reasons behind the prolonged absence of Queens of the Stone Age are legion, including line-up turbulence, successful side projects and the near-death experience of band linchpin Josh Homme.

As if to acknowledge and compensate for the lengthy gap in new material since 2007‘s Era Vulgaris, there’s little that hasn’t been thrown into the ...Like Clockwork mix: power ballads, industrial sleaze, surprising reunions, the sound of broken glass - and Elton John on piano.

That contribution - the joyous backdrop, half-buried in the mix, of a song called “Fairweather Friends” that begins like something off David Bowie’s new album and ends as a frantic oddity all of its own - would be more remarkable if it didn’t occur on an album that also sees the return of Nick Oliveri, the bassist who was fired from the band in 2004. It’s not quite a reunion though: Oliveri joins Mark Lanegan and Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner to form a demented chorus on the louche, sleazy rocker “If I Had a Tail”.

“I Sat By the Ocean” is an early highlight after the album’s heavy, bluesy start, with the sort of anthemic riff that easily holds its own against the band’s feelgood hits of the past. Yet the sparse opening of “Vampyre of Time and Memory” shows that they can play minimal just as effectively, holding back and letting drums and a mighty guitar solo fill out the rest of the song.

Still, Homme remains at his best when using his expressive voice to camp it up a little. “Smooth Sailing” is ludicrously over the top, one of five tracks to feature the return to the band of Dave Grohl on drums (and possibly a falsetto backing vocal?), and easily the best thing on the album. Handing over the reigns to Trent Reznor on “Kalopsia”, which is probably supposed to have some kind of dreamy, psychedelic feel but really just comes across as a bit cheesy, makes that track probably one to skip.

Watch the typically enigmatic video for "My God is the Sun" below


Add comment

The future of Arts Journalism

 

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters