Homme has marshaled all of his strengths on ...Like Clockwork and has found a way forward, a way to deepen his music without compromising his identity.
As if he’s following the path laid down by so many of his ’70s rock heroes, Homme is entering a new decade with a crisp, borderline robotic update of his band’s sound.
With all its sonic diversity, consistency and precision, ...Like Clockwork is an impressive step in the right direction.
All the personalities put themselves in the background to let the songs shine and the moods are laid out in such a manner with the music that the flow is nearly perfect. ...Like Clockwork is easily the best release from the band since Songs for the Deaf.
With ...Like Clockwork, Queens of The Stone Age pulls together their dreariest album yet, but don't forget to deliver plenty of badass alt rock numbers in the process.
The crap filter has been whacked up to 11 and the groove-o-tron set to interstellar for the band’s slickest offering to date.
It should go without saying but it needs to said: this is an intricate, jarring and complicated piece of work and is undeniably brilliant.
It’s the one of the best QOTSA records to date. It also might be the first rock release of the dystopian blog-eat-blog era capable of recapturing the idea of music as a shared experience—that is, there are a lot of people waiting to get their ears in it.
Make no mistakes, though: . . . Like Clockwork still runs on Homme's grizzled-dude-against-the-world intensity
Despite the distinct swerve in direction, there are still numerous killer blows to be found on …Like Clockwork.
…Like Clockwork is one of the year’s finer rock albums — an exercise in songwriting, production, and musicianship.
This is tension, then more tension, then even more tension on the chorus until your subconscious has been thoroughly scrambled; only then does release come, usually in the form of a gnarled guitar solo.
There is something to be said of a band that can tap so many musical icons without ceding the spotlight or deviating from a plan of action: this is still a Queens of the Stone Age record (with friends).
By having faith that his songwriting ability would stand up to being thrust into unchartered musical territory, he’s overseen the making of a tight album that has a cohesiveness that belies how open it is to new – and genuinely exciting – ideas.
Now on the other side of forty, this is QOTSA as weary of mortality as they’ve ever been. They also sound as vital, forceful and rough around the edges as they have in over a decade
With Mark Lanegan and even former bass player Nick Oliveri contributing as well, there's been much talk of a return to the Songs for the Deaf-era line-up and, some fans hoped, sound. That's not the case, but …Like Clockwork is definitely their best offering since that paranoid classic.
I called them solid and dependable previously and that sense of solidness is the first thing that comes across on ...Like Clockwork. They are a Volvo of a band, reliable, they will not let you down.
The real magic here is that, despite expanding their sonic remit further than ever, Queens Of The Stone Age are still the same peerless band, indebted only to themselves.
A mature, heart-on-sleeve epic, and an acute reminder that we’re still in the midst of a master.
...Like Clockwork, despite its troubled genesis and dark subject matter, sounds rejuvenated and triumphant.
...Like Clockwork simply foregrounds an aspect that’s been lingering in the Queens’ music since the beginning: beneath all that volcanic riffage, Homme has always been a sucker for a pretty pop song.
This is a record that feels more loose and laid-back, which is appropriate for a group that’s getting back together after a few years off.
It's not entirely successful, but also it's far from a failure - and it's certainly a unique piece of art that shouldn't be dismissed after the first or second listen.
...Like Clockwork is an irreverent turn for the ever-irreverent Queens, and I don't mind at all the ambitious, new, not-so-Queens ideas. But perhaps a little minimalism—not stretching so many of those ideas to close to or more than five minutes—would make this an infinitely more enjoyable ride.
These minor virtues aside, …Like Clockwork is a droning, incoherent endeavor, and it simply doesn’t reward the attention it’s asking for.
Shit, I don’t really know where to begin with this.
So exactly one year ago I wrote a review for this album that went like this:
“Good lord this went way harder on the second playthrough, loved every minute of it. I'm not that familiar with QotSA's earlier discography, but this definitely seems like them approaching near perfection of their craft.”
This was around the time of when I first joined AOTY, and to provide some context the day I wrote that review it was snowing ... read more
★★★★★
Holy schnaps.
I have done Queens of the Stone Age’s entire discography from first record to last in the past couple of days, and my thoughts are the following: "...Like Clockwork is their most daring and artistically accomplished work yet."
Their previous records were great in their own right but they simply can’t compare to this one. On "...Like Clockwork", every single song is special and unique, and this wasn’t the case with their ... read more
This may have passed Black Parade as my favorite concept album just because every song is do consistently good and likeable. You get a lot of different moods and flavors while still sticking to one base theme which I find highly enjoyable. If I Had A Tail is becoming one of my personal favorite songs and who doesnt love I Sat By The Ocean and I Appear Missing. Smooth Sailing is really ghe only song I dont absolutely love and I believe that Kalopsia is highly underrated as a song.
10/10 play ... read more
would be a 94 but I'm minusing 3 because I rarely return to this album, even if it is fantastic
With ...Like Clockwork, Queens of The Stone Age pulls together their dreariest album yet, but don't forget to deliver plenty of badass alt rock numbers in the process.
1 | Keep Your Eyes Peeled 5:04 | 93 |
2 | I Sat By the Ocean 3:55 | 95 |
3 | The Vampyre of Time and Memory 3:34 | 93 |
4 | If I Had a Tail 4:55 | 92 |
5 | My God Is the Sun 3:55 | 95 |
6 | Kalopsia 4:38 | 92 |
7 | Fairweather Friends 3:43 | 91 |
8 | Smooth Sailing 4:51 | 93 |
9 | I Appear Missing 6:00 | 98 |
10 | ...Like Clockwork 5:24 | 95 |
#1 | / | CraveOnline |
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#4 | / | The Daily Beast |
#4 | / | The Needle Drop |
#6 | / | Amazon |
#6 | / | Obscure Sound |
#6 | / | Rolling Stone |
#7 | / | Gigwise |
#7 | / | Sputnikmusic |