Review Summary: Not your average everyday stoner.
Right out of the box,
…Like Clockwork is an easy and enjoyable listen. It’s less heavy and complex than the often exhausting yet brilliant “Songs for the Deaf”. Then again, who needs complex arrangements and heavy duty jack hammer riffs when you have tracks like
I Sat By the Ocean and
If I Had a Tail? More calm, bluesy and fresh, the album pulls you in on your first listen until you keep on listening for a while longer.
The record is as haunting and moody as it’s playful and fun. Whilst you have down-tempo pieces like
Vampyre of Time and Memory and
I Appear Missing”, the door is wide open for upbeat and leg-tapping secret pleasures in the form of
Smooth Sailing. The vibe is rich and attractive from almost every perspective. Smiling at just how good everything sounds is inevitable.
As in life, beauty is found also in tragic moments. And it doesn’t get more tragic than Josh Homme in his most fragile state during the title track. It’s all downhill from here, he claims. Far from it. The song progresses from a simple piano arrangement into a blast of moody guitar textures, embracing an ocean of long awaited melancholy as the album closes with superb glory.
...Like Clockwork finds the Queens in their most focused state of mind. The band sounds intact, but it’s always Josh Homme who leads the way and steals the spotlight with brilliant falsettos and inspiring lyrics. However, the musicianship is undeniably perfect with well-crafted arrangements that always take you back to another listen and then some.
