Queens of the Stone Age: ...Like Clockwork
Shock Me Awake
Josh Homme and company are back with what is arguably the best Queen of the Stone Age album yet, ...Like Clockwork.
Released on June 3, 2013, QotSA's sixth studio album immediately received widespread critical acclaim. It reached number two on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the Billboard 200, the first Queens album to top the charts in the United States.
According to Metacritic, it is their most acclaimed album since Songs for the Deaf, which features the hit tracks No One Knows and Go With The Flow, QotSA's most popular and recognizable singles to date - not to mention Deaf's opening track Millionaire, which has been featured in two video games, Tony Hawk's Underground and Jak X, the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 trailer, feature-film Project X, and some T-Mobile commercials.
On May 20, 2013, in preparation for the new release, Queens of the Stone Age uploaded a compilation video (below) featuring artwork from UK artist Boneface, and the following ...Like Clockwork tracks:
Boneface's unique art style, combined with Josh Homme's powerfully poignant lyrics, makes for a progressive rock experience unlike any other. There is little doubt amongst critics and fans that Queens of the Stone Age are masters of their craft, and will be celebrated as such, for centuries to come.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Tear Me Apart
In 2010, following complications from a routine knee surgery, Josh Homme was hospitalized for thirteen days, and bedridden for four months.
"I woke up and there was a doctor going, ‘Shit, we lost you.' I couldn’t get up for four months. When I did, I hadn’t got a clue what was going on."
During his bed-ridden stint, Josh also noted:
"I would never say, 'I'm probably not gonna make it out of here.' But back then, I would definitely think it."
The remaining QotSA members encouraged Homme to return to the studio and begin work on their sixth studio album, to which Josh replied:
"'If you want to make a record with me right now, in the state I’m in, come into the fog. It’s the only chance you got.' It brought us much closer, because you never really know someone till everything goes wrong."
Josh Homme & Kyle Meredith @ 2013's ACL Festival
On October 20, 2012 Queens of the Stone Age announced that they were recording a new album via their Facebook page. The endeavor was tumultuous at times, which provided inspiration for the LP's title.
"We'd have these great victories and then something would go south for a bit, and we'd go, 'It's like clockwork!' I think a sick sense of humor is what's always been our preservation mechanism, so this time we're using that sick sense of humor for a title." - Rolling Stone
In a Drowned In Sound interview, Josh added:
“When you’re making your first and second record, you’re just chasing inspiration and trying to keep up with it. But when you’re on your sixth, you go through some crazy ups and downs. Music is my religion and I’m trying to figure out who the fuck I am and how this all works. So this record was born of feeling lost. I was just lost, man.”
"What marks the artist is his power to shape the material of the pain we all have." - Lionel Trilling
More ...Like Clockwork tracks you must experience, posthaste:
Queens Of The Stone Age
If you are new to Queens of the Stone Age, and you like what you've heard so far, check out the rest of their discography below, sorted by album and featuring my favorite tracks, specifically selected for your aural pleasure. There are plenty of official music videos peppered throughout, as well. Prepare yourself for multiple ear-gasms, my fellow music lovers!
Rated R
I've Got A Secret
Songs For The Deaf
Then, It Taketh Away
Lullabies To Paralyze
So Glad You Could Stay Forever
Era Vulgaris
The Tongue Is A Twist
B-Sides & More
Vinyl Firsts, B-Sides & Remixes
"So good to be an ant who crawls
Atop a spinning rock" - My God Is The Sun
Them Crooked Vultures
Josh Homme is a busy man, and this is another one of his many brilliant side projects - Them Crooked Vultures is a rock supergroup created with Josh in 2009, including guitarist John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), and drummer Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters and Nirvana). TCV also features guitarist Alain Johannes during their live performances.
Discussions of a second album have been circulating for years:
"We’ve talked about it, I know that someday we’ll get back together and do stuff, because we love playing with each other." - Dave Grohl, Dec 2012
Some of my favorite Them Crooked Vultures tracks for you to enjoy:
