...Like Clockwork isn't by any means a complete failure, it's just an incredibly safe and uncharacteristically slow record for Queens of the Stone Age. The punch of their stoner-inspired riffs and knack for experimentation is mostly pushed to the side in favor of grimier, mid-paced songs that are not nearly as exciting. Slower, mid-tempo songs aren't exactly a new concept to Queens of the Stone ("Leg of Lamb", "Gonna Leave You" and "Burn the Witch" are just a few of the countless examples of quality mid-paced tracks in their catalog,) but tracks on here like "If I Had a Tail" and "Kaplosia" don't have the same flair and/or emotion that made their superior mid-paced tracks special. It's not just these slower songs that fall short, a good majority of ...Like Clockwork just seems like Queens of the Stone Age on auto-pilot. Granted Queens of the Stone Age kind of phoning it in is better than a lot of bands on the top of their game, it's just kind of sad that a band has talented as Queens wastes their creativity and talent on a decent and mostly forgettable record. Even some of the parts that are cool (ex: the bassline on "Keep Your Eyes Peeled" and the lead riff on "I Sat in the Ocean") get kind of dull because of how much they are repeated in the same song. There's very little variation in the music over the course of the same song and a lot of the tracks run out of steam after only a minute or two due to lack of tempo change.
Not everything about ...Like Clockwork falls short. There are some flashes of the vintage Queens energy, riffs and hooks on the second half of the record. Lead single "My God is the Sun" is a crackling good time that is slightly reminiscent of other heavy-hitting singles like "Go with the Flow" and "Little Sister". Despite my disappointment with a lot of the slower tracks, there a couple on the second half actually work. "Fairweather Friends" and "Smooth Sailing" both feature effective riffing and solid melodies and were amongst the few tracks on this record that are actually thoroughly enjoyable and in-line with what I expected.
...Like Clockwork is far from terrible, but it doesn't bring the quality that we've grown accustomed to from Queens of the Stone Age. Queens of the Stone Age has built a career on making edgy, unique stoner-inspired, hard-edged alternative rock and ...Like Clockwork sees them taking their music in a less original and energetic direction. Their music always had a sense of danger and intrigue to it, but on this record those flashes are few and far between. I don't know if this record's lack of spark is because of Josh Homme's bout with severe depression a few years back or from other unknown cause, but it seems to me that he and the rest of the band didn't put all of their creative juices at work while making this record (which is especially disappointing considering that this is their first release since 2007's Era Vulgaris.) This record rarely rises above decent with only a few songs that are noteworthy and for a band as talented and groundbreaking as Queens of the Stone Age, a strictly competent record just doesn't cut it.
3/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.My God is the Sun
2.Fairweather Friends
3.Smooth Sailing
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