Queens
of the Stone Age
…Like
Clockwork
Matador
On
some of the slower, more sedate songs, the band seemingly can’t decide if they’re
heavy adult rock, or on the faster, louder songs, heavy rock, but that’s a
minor quibble. This is excellent no-frills rock, smart, and extremely
contemplative. The slower songs move with a lot of nuances, the faster ones
tear it up. The guitar playing is
wonderful, never too much or too little the drumming is precise and not
overdone, and frontman Josh Homme
has never sounded better.
Homme
was hospitalized for 13 days, and then bedridden for four months due to
complications of routine knee surgery.
He sank into a deep depression during that time, and his bandmates
pulled him out of it by getting him to work on …Like Clockwork. Needless to say, he had a lot to think
about, but for all the darkness, this album is about moving forward. In Homme’s
case, he could run away mentally from the situation he was in, or get into the
thick of it. He chose to run
toward it. and it shows, because these songs aren’t downers. They’re more like
waking up after a very bad, long day and night and finding it’s a new,
different day.
Heavy
rock can be a sludgy mess. This is anything but. Lean, economical, exciting, a headlong rush, and for me, desert rock at it’s best. The fans
will have a ball with this. If it’s a little sedate, so what, it’s still
QOTSA. This album is a great way
for new fans to get into this band, and they will have fun with it, too.
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