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2. …Like Clockwork - Queens of the Stone Age (2013)

Rock

...Like Clockwork’s origin story has become the stuff of modern rock lore. After what was supposed to be a routine knee surgery, a medical mistake left Queens frontman Josh Homme flailing in the infinite chasm of anesthesia. When he was finally yanked back out of the void, doctors expressed relief and surprise, admitting that they had nearly lost him. After the botched procedure, Homme spent two weeks in the hospital before returning home, where he was left bed-ridden in recovery for the next four months. During this time, severe depression set in, and with it, a natural disinterest in being social, creative or otherwise productive. Eventually, fellow band members, other artists and even Sir Elton John managed to infiltrate the dense haze that surrounded Homme and convince him to get back to work.

The effects of Homme’s near-death experience and its devastating aftermath are all over ...Like Clockwork. From the uber-sludgy opening riff of “Keep Your Eyes Peeled”, it’s clear that the album is going to be heavier and darker than ever. The track is packed with allusions to Homme’s recent ordeal and the agonizing process of reconstituting his sanity afterwards. The track pulls back the curtain for the rest of us, offering a harrowing glimpse at the sorts of stark realizations that left him floundering in the existential vacuum that lies between here and death. “I Sat By The Ocean” flares out of the murkiness for a moment, with melodic guitars lifting spirits a tad. But thematically it remains beholden to the realities elucidated prior, focusing on time and our inability to escape it. A clever flip of an old adage highlights this phenomenon, “time wounds all the heals as we fade out of view”. “The Vampyre Of Time And Memory” is a somber, humble recognition of powerlessness against the forces of entropy. “My God Is The Sun” is a clue to some of the abrupt shifts in perspective one inevitably endures after narrowly avoiding death. Imagery of human civilization being nothing more than “ants atop a spinning rock” illustrate the true extent of our importance in a universal context. 

The back half of the album begins with “Kalopsia”, which refers to the condition of perceiving things as being more beautiful than they actually are. The track feels like an eerie float down a lazy river leading into Hell. It begins with a cleverly structured line that somewhat humorously changes in meaning as it is delivered: “I never lied…(pause) to myself…(pause) tonight”. And it ends with a chill-inducing siren-esque guitar outro unlike anything you’ve ever heard. “Fairweather Friends”, while probably the weakest song on the album, is still fantastic. Featuring an easily missable vocal assist from Trent Reznor on the chorus, it’s Homme expressing frustration with certain people whose true colors were revealed during his difficult recovery and his eventual admission “...I don’t give a shit about them anyhow”. 

And then there’s “Smooth Sailing”. Ironically, it actually feels a little out of place within the context of the rest of the album, but only on the surface. A closer look reveals that it’s the corner being turned, the acceptance of the many brutal truths, brutally revealed to this point. It’s Homme getting his groove back after his gut-wrenching foray into the abyss. Easily the best track on an album where every track has a legitimate claim to that title, “Smooth Sailing” is quintessential Queens of the Stone Age, absolutely gushing gallons of swagger at every turn and chock full of the cleverest, most playful lyrics on the album. 

...Like Clockwork concludes much as it started, roiled in despair but not at all ready to give in to it. Frightening in its vivid descriptions of the brink, “I Appear Missing” is the most literal recount of Homme’s hospital debacle. The final, title track is the culmination of the wisdom he’s gleaned throughout his transformative journey. “Most of what you see, my dear, is worth letting go,” he sings, “not everything that goes around comes back around, you know”. 

A massive return to form after a period of trials and tribulations that few could dream of, ...Like Clockwork quickly became the gold standard for what 21st century rock can be. Packed with energy, yet willing to entertain the deep and the dark with artistic grace and restraint, the final product is a tour of life and death that only a veritable rock god like Josh Homme could have masterminded. 

*image; cover art for the album ...Like Clockwork by Queens of the Stone Age