Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork

In fifteen years a lot can happen, and a fine example of that can be found in QOTSA's story. Hell, even in the last year alone there've been enough legal problems and lineup changes that even the Sugababes are shaking their heads in dismay. First came the departure of their third drummer, Joey Castillo; fired by Homme, the motives remain a mystery. The most likely explanation is artistic differences, but still - there's intrigue straight away. Throw in returnee Nick Oliveri and his recent domestic violence allegations and you've got a classic rock and roll story on the burner. Of course, this is a cynical way of looking at the return of one of the biggest bands in the world, so let's move on.

Their sixth studio album - and first in 6 years - feels like something of a shoulder-rubbing adventure. The list of contributors is pretty stellar, and that can often be a band's undoing. Just ask Fall Out Boy. But here the connections are pretty obvious: Dave Grohl goes way back with the band, Alex Turner is the hot current thing in L.A. (plus Homme produced Humbug), and Jake Shears and Trent Reznor are other old friends of Homme's - the latter provided vocals for Era Vulgaris. The remainder is the one most are probably talking about: Elton John's spot on Fairweather Friends. His recent dabblings with modern rock have been varied, but he's on a good streak lately so let's keep our hopes up for now.

The band sleek into focus with 'Keep Your Eyes Peeled', a gritty, grimy piece with slides and a monotonous, dragging feel. It's not the most lively of warm-ups - and Jake Shears' whereabouts... well your guess is as good as mine - but it'll get people in the mood for what turns out to be a pretty dark album. "Time wounds all heals", he says of a staling relationship on 'I Sat by the Ocean', LC's closest attempt to a crossover hit, as he sadly acknowledges that they are "passing ships in the night". With a little more blithe honesty, 'The Vampyre of Time and Memory' could be John Grantian in its poignancy and hard-hitting blues swagger. "I feel no love" is the refrain over some rather melancholy piano chords, but he draws inspiration from the situation. "I've survived, I speak, I breathe. I'm incomplete." It's good, but it's not their finest work.

In terms of Like Clockwork, their finest is 'If I Had a Tail', the funk-rock stomper that's almost like David Bowie covering Gimme Shelter with a pretty heavy band. In it, there are lashes out at materialism ("the city of glass with no heart") and feelings of alienation ("I'm machine/ I'm obsolete") before Alex Turner washes the track away with a wispy flourish, but only once Homme, Oliveri and long-time collaborator Mark Lanegan have had their fun. First single 'My God is the Sun' feels surprisingly forgettable when pitched against the rest of the album, especially the follow-up 'Kalopsia'; one part spaced-out dream sequence, another part Grohlian breakdown. The single appearance from Reznor, it's a surprising, fully-realized fusion of genres that the Queens are famed for, and others they are not. It also gives the green light to a typically overstated and energetic performance from Elton on 'Fairweather Friends', a scathing kiss-off to crappy friends.

Stopping midway and resolving "I don't give a shit about them anyhow", the Queens pick up their blues strut on 'Smooth Sailing', a fantastically catchy groove that begs to be used in video game soundtracks. Don't pretend you don't want to stab pedestrians with a machete and this on in the background. I understand your urges. The group follow this with a bleak, deathly 'I Appear Missing', where Homme references his own coma following a knee operation in 2010 as a fitting metaphor for his own lifelessness and desire to feel something. "Shock me awake, tear me apart", he pleads, as the band really throw themselves into a storming, belting backing. It's followed, though, by the surprisingly serene (and vaguely Pink Floyd-evoking) title track, where a sombre piano ballad provides a morose backdrop for feelings of mistrust, nihilism and futility. "It's all downhill from here" is the message they choose to bow out on, and it's a time-stopping moment.

The album sits as a bridge between their more accessible, omnipresent anthems (No One Knows; 3s and 7s) and their hardcore fan-favoured pure rock albums. It's difficult to picture anyone displeased with this record beyond your typical metal snobs (the worst breed of online music community). As such, this'll come with many "the best QOTSA album since..." comments, and I'd finish that sentence with Songs for the Dead. This is, like, songs for the living, man. I don't like closing paragraphs.

Rating: 8/10
Highlights: I Appear Missing; If I Had a Tail; Keep Your Eyes Peeled; ...Like Clockwork; Smooth Sailing
Avoid: n/a

Artwork Watch: It looks specDracula. I'm sorry.
Up next: Tom Odell