When Queens of the Stone Age first
announced last August that they had begun recording their follow up to 2008’s s
Era Vulgaris, fans of the band were
ecstatic. They had been waiting for five years for a new album, and luckily for
longtime fans, their patience will be rewarded. Everyone else will just be
delighted.
The sixth and latest entry into
their catalog, …Like Clockwork, sees the
Palm Desert, California rockers harnessing the sound of previous entries while
simultaneously brightening the mood a bit which has resulted in the creation of
an album that manages to come off as both familiar and fresh. Retaining some of
the sex-and-swagger from seminal albums Rated R and Songs For The Deaf and giving it a new twist has resulted in the
strongest melodies from the band yet, as well as some of the best songs.
…Like Clockwork begins with the sounds of rattling chains and other
creepy noises on “Keep Your Eyes Peeled,” a downright sinister track with a
steady, driving drumbeat and a main guitar riff that’s mean and nasty. There
are some vocal melodies and vocal styles that bring to mind System of a Down.
“Keep Your Eyes Peeled” is extremely well balanced between gritty and pretty,
which is a reoccurring theme throughout the album. The second cut off the album,
“I Sat By The Ocean,” is centered around a slick guitar riff from
singer/songwriter/guitarist Josh Homme and consistently solid drumming from
legendary Dave Grohl. The chorus is not particularly noteworthy but the song is
structurally impressive and catchy nonetheless, which makes it more than worth
a listen.
Even more soft and mellow is third
song, “The Vampyre Of Time And Memory,” sees Homme softly singing over synth
washes and minimal guitar work. “Does anyone ever get this right? I feel no
love,” sings Homme, over the instrumental eruption during the last 30 seconds
of the song that brings things to a nice conclusion. “If I Had A Tail,” is
filled to the brim with swagger, evoking memories of disco era Rolling Stones.
Everything works on this song; the drums propel the foray into dance territory
while the guitars keep things firmly grounded in classic rock, and the maniacal
mood set by the vocals from Homme comes together to form an awesome song.
Making it even better is that it features guitar riffs and vocals from Alex
Turner of Arctic Monkeys fame. “If I Had A Tail” is a highlight on an album
filled with good songs.
The weakest tracks are in the
middle, “My God Is In The Sun” and “Kalopsia.” The former features a repetitive
and unappealing riff, and the latter doesn’t get particularly interesting until
the end, leaving a taste of disappointment in the mouth. These two songs simply
don’t fit in with the rest in regards to quality. Homme brings out the falsetto
and piano on parts of “Fairweather Friends,” and it really works the strumming
rhythm guitar and sweet lead riff. It’s a song that’s both passive and
aggressive, perhaps due to guest vocalist Trent Reznor, and is overall one of
the best songs found here.
Best of all is “Smooth Sailing,”
which features the same jive and shimmy as “If I Had A Tail.” “Smooth Sailing”
could almost be passed off as dance rock, if it wasn’t for such a heavy riff
and jittery guitar solos. There’s a part that sounds mysteriously like “Welcome
to the Jungle” by Guns ‘N Roses, but no penalty should be applied because it
fits the song fantastically.
The album ends with title track, …Like
Clockwork. For Oklahoma natives, this will
remind some of you of the Flaming Lips. It quickly evolves into something much
heavier and erratic than even the Lips, and just as things are getting out of
control it fades down and transitions back to the tranquil yet grandiose sound
from before. A nice, calm way to end an album charged with electricity.
When asked in 2000 his goal for making rock, Homme said “
Rock should be heavy enough for the boys and sweet enough for the girls.”
Mission accomplished.
8.8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment