Queens Of The Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork

I'm still very excited to hear the new QOTSA album as I prepare for the live show this week. A lot of people have let this group drop off their radar since getting the Grohl bump three albums ago. I've enjoyed each as much as the next and see no reason why this should disappoint me.

It kicks off with a dirty gross groove. QOTSA have always been good at the stoner desert jam, and "Keep Your Eyes Peeled" is twice as sick. Strippers will connect. Think: "She Rides". Less sick but still powerful is the romantic ode "I Appear Missing". Dave Grohl keeps up with the time changes and Josh writes the truth: "It's only falling in love because you hit the ground"

The singles don't fare quite as well. "I Sat by the Ocean"  is a radio single and sounds like it. Also sounds to familiar to a previous Queens song that I can't spot right now. ("Long Slow Goodbye" ?) And it's lyrics do little for the cliché of a broken relationship. "We're passing ships in the night." I was also unimpressed with the other single, "My God is the Sun". A pretty-simple driving tune has speed and has heavy, but stays in a straight-lane roll off the curb.

"The Vampyre Of Time And Memory" is a crazy departure. A '70s glitter-era ballad that envokes Wings or Queen in me somehow. But it's sad and unromantic which fits it into the mix well. "Kalopsia" is another that's good by me, but I'll bet that it falls flat to most listeners. It does seem altogether childish. A "woe is me" verse coupled with a lashing-out chorus. But it's still psychedlic enough for me to jump in the boat with.

The pièce de résistance, though, is "Fairweather Friends". Elton John lends a hand on this one, and it makes some weird sense to me. While only three-and-a half-minutes long, the song still sounds like an epic, grungy version of  "November Rain". The title track also tries to employ this vibe. And it's okay, but its the lesser of two Queens. With it's fuzzed-out Slash-like solo and piano riffing, FF's a mini-classic.

...Like Clockwork is a right-on-time near-masterpiece with far more hits than (near) misses. (4.5 of 5 stars)