Review Summary: One of the most important albums of my life (thus far)
Queens of the Stone Age have always been a band that I enjoyed, but it wasn’t until
…Like Clockwork did I truly connect lyrically with these guys. Their previous albums were enjoyable and full of great riffs, yet I did not really consider them an emotionally deep band. One would assume that Homme’s close encounter with death helped him see the world from a new perspective. Perhaps I just didn’t understand what his lyrics were about until now. That’s what I really like about this album; it is relatable and accessible, yet with each listen you hear something new.
…Like Clockwork came out perhaps at an essential point in my personal timeline. I was going through a deep depression shortly following my sister’s tragic passing. Since the album deals a lot with death (and life) it bears strong relevance for me. It wouldn’t be a stretch to claim this album truly helped me through these tough times. Uncharacteristically, at the time I had also started smoking and was becoming distant from my girlfriend. I had a strange obsession with listening to this album while smoking on my deck. It gave me a peace of mind and sense of baddassery at the same time. If you have listened to any of these tracks, you likely know what I mean. Each song plays on emotion: not only the lyrics, but also the instrumentation. From depression to ecstasy, death and rebirth, stalking and seduction, this album is truly an emotional roller coaster.
These musicians also put on one hell of a show. The opening track on their album happened to be the first song of the concert I attended; whenever I hear the glass breaking, I reminisce back to this performance. They had screens with accompanying videos playing in the background which simply added to the engrossing experience. In the opening moments, they showed smashing glass showering down, which really opened the concert (and album) off to an explosive start. Fantastic. By the way, each song is actually dripping with sexual energy (a great album to play while banging your significant other). As much as I want to review each track, I feel it would make for a tiresome read. Let’s skip to track 3 "The Vampyre of Time and Memory". A powerful and interesting track, Homme is the obvious standout as vocalist and songwriter. The song is creepy and sexual, making you wonder what he is really swooning about. Taking it at face value, the song goes perfectly with the album cover. However, what I truly enjoy about this song is that the lyrics are memorable and catchy, making it easy to sing along to. Actually the whole album is that way, which makes it all the more powerful. I felt that no matter what I was going through, I could count on this album to make me feel better and even just help me feel like a badass.
"Kalopsia" is the most intriguing song to me because I really struggle with what it means. To me, it is has something to do with an obsessive lover who is dumped but proceeds to stalk the other person. Any way that it can be interpreted, it is still quite intriguing and intense. Homme brings his signature swinging vocals, which are undeniably unique and piercing. "Fairweather Friends" is another standout track for me, although they're all truly fascinating. From what I gather, this song is about conditional friends who are really only there when it’s convenient for them. We all have friends like that, which brings me back to my claim about how relatable these lyrics really are. The vocals are so fantastically executed and just plain tasty. Even as I listen to this song, it makes me want to smoke even though I have since quit. Not so much the taste or nicotine, but simply for blowing smoke and being alone.
As you may have noticed, my review is quite unfocused. I don't care, because my own brain is often scattered it’s just how I think. I didn’t mention some of the more popular songs because I feel like they’ve been talked about enough already. Moving on; "I Appear Missing" is a track that I really connected with because I was becoming distant from family and friends. It wasn't that hated them, I just really enjoyed being alone with my thoughts. I would go as far as to say this album helped me make my decision about leaving my girlfriend. I couldn’t figure out why I liked being alone so much. My conclusion was that I simply wasn’t happy. I needed to make a change and
…Like Clockwork helped me follow through. As you can imagine, it was a rough patch in my timeline, but after it was all said and done, I played "Smooth Sailing" to really hit it home. To some people, this is simply an above average QOTSA album. To me, this is one of the albums to define my life. It truly defines an entire era in my life, and without it I’m not sure where I would be. This is my first review ever, and I knew exactly which album I had to do.
...Like Clockwork is not a perfect album by any stretch, but it is easily a classic in my eyes. I’ve listened to this album at least 50 times, and for the simple reason that it is emotionally addictive. A masterpiece, in my eyes… The most important album of 2013.
