...Like Clockwork is the sixth studio album by American rock bandQueens of the Stone Age, released on June 3, 2013, onMatador Records in the UK, and on June 4 in the United States.[7] Self-produced by the band,[8] it is the first Queens of the Stone Age album to feature full contributions from bassistMichael Shuman and keyboardist and guitaristDean Fertita, who both joined the band in 2007 to tour in support of the band's fifth studio album,Era Vulgaris, and record itsbonus tracks.
After several false starts and stops, the band began recording...Like Clockwork in August 2012, initially hoping that collaboratorTrent Reznor would produce the album. Following a stormy recording period, which included the departure of long-time drummerJoey Castillo, founding memberJosh Homme described the album as "documenting the journey of moving forward, you know. It was a tough time and I thought, 'I can run away from this, or I can run into it.'"[9]
The album received critical acclaim and commercial success upon its release, reaching number two on theUK Albums Chart[10] and number one on theBillboard 200,[11] making it the first Queens of the Stone Age album to top the charts in the United States. The album was nominated for threeGrammy Awards, includingBest Rock Album.[12]
In 2011, frontmanJosh Homme was hospitalized for thirteen days, and subsequently bedridden for four months, following complications during a routine surgical procedure on his knee.[13] Homme noted, "I woke up and there was a doctor going, 'Shit, we lost you.' I couldn't get up for four months. When I did, I hadn't got a clue what was going on." During this time, Homme sank into a deep depression, noting "I would never say, 'I'm probably not gonna make it out of here.' But back then, I would definitely think it."[13] The remaining members of Queens of the Stone Age – guitaristTroy Van Leeuwen, drummerJoey Castillo, bassistMichael Shuman and guitarist and keyboardistDean Fertita – encouraged Homme to return to the band to begin work on a sixth studio album.[14] Homme noted, "I had to ask them 'If you want to make a record with me right now, in the state I'm in, come into the fog. It's the only chance you got.' It brought us much closer, because you never really know someone till everything goes wrong."[15]
The band subsequently reissued its debut studio album,Queens of the Stone Age (1998), in 2011; the band also embarked upon an extensive tour playing the album in full each night. Homme stated, "Doing the rehearsals for the first record is really defining the new one. It's been turning the new record into something else. What we were doing was kind of bluesy, and now it's turned into this trancey, broken thing. The robots are back!"[16] However, in 2013, Homme noted, "I was hoping that playing the first record would really inspire me and make me fall in love with music again. But I think I was just lost, looking for something in the dark. In that dark I found...Like Clockwork."[15]
In June 2016, Homme clarified that the knee surgery he had was in no way connected to his "death", and that this story was created by "somebody else". He added that the real situation involved an MRSA infection brought on by going "in too deep" with drugs.[17]
On August 20, 2012, the band stated via their Facebook page that they were recording their new album.[18] Tumult that surfaced during the recording of the album provided inspiration for the LP's title. Homme explained toRolling Stone magazine: "We'd have these great victories and then something would go south for a bit, and we'd go, 'It's like clockwork!' I think a sick sense of humor is what's always been our preservation mechanism, so this time we're using that sick sense of humor for a title."[19]
A number of collaborations from different musicians were also present for the new album, includingTrent Reznor,[23]Jake Shears,[24]Alex Turner,James Lavelle,Brody Dalle,[21] andElton John.[25] John ended up on the album after surprising Homme with a phone call, telling him he needed an "actual queen" on the record.[26] In addition to Dave Grohl's drum contribution, the record also features performances by former drummerJoey Castillo as well as a track by new drummerJon Theodore on the title track, "...Like Clockwork".[27]
GuitaristTroy Van Leeuwen praised recording engineerMark Rankin's contributions stating, "I think it was pretty key to have Mark there. He went through the process with us, and now he's like a brother. He was completely an outsider to what we were doing, and that was the one thing that we consciously decided. For this record we wanted to go out of our comfort zone, usually we're around friends of ours. For this one, I think it was important to work with somebody who didn't even know what some of our influences were. Someone completely out of the box for us, and I think he was key in making this record sound the way it does."[28]
During the recording process, longtime drummerJoey Castillo left the band, and former contributorDave Grohl stepped in to play drums on the rest of the album. Regarding Castillo's departure, guitarist and keyboardistDean Fertita noted: "We were maybe about a third of the way in, so there was still a lot of work to do. That was an emotional thing for us; we love Joey to death."[15]
Former bass guitaristNick Oliveri, who was fired by Josh Homme in 2004, provided backing vocals on "If I Had a Tail", and upon hearing that drummerDave Grohl was returning to Queens of the Stone Age to assist in the recording process, Oliveri asked Homme if he too could return on bass guitar. Oliveri noted: "I actually put in a request with Josh. I heard Dave was playing on the record, and I was like, 'Dude! I wanna play bass on it!' I'd be a fool not to ask. If Dave Grohl was playing drums, then I want in. He's an amazing drummer. I never had a better time in my life than when Dave was in the band."[29] Homme ultimately chose current bassistMichael Shuman, who joined the band in 2007 uponEra Vulgaris' release.
Regarding Oliveri's backing vocal contributions, Homme noted: "Nick and I have been friends since a couple weeks after everything went down in 2004. People don't know that, and it would be awkward for me to run around making sure everyone knew it. Nick recordedhis new record at my studio, and then he was going to drop off some records and he said, 'Hey, need anyone to sing backup?' And I was like, 'Actually, yeah, come on in.' That's a nice thing. It was easy. It's nice to know someone since you were a little kid, and still know them."[30]
The cover art for the album was created byLiverpool-based artist Boneface. It is based on a publicity still for the 1931 filmDracula.[31] Alongside the original red cover, the band released a limited edition vinyl with a blue cover exclusively through independent retailers.[32] Another limited edition vinyl with an all black cover was released onBlack Friday through record retailers worldwide.[33]
In March 2013, the band announced that the new album, titled...Like Clockwork, would be released in June 2013 onMatador Records.[34][35] On March 22, 2013, the band teased the album artwork for...Like Clockwork on Facebook.[36] They premiered a new song titled "My God Is the Sun" atLollapalooza Brazil on March 30, 2013.[37] The performance saw Jon Theodore make his live debut with the band. The studio version of "My God Is the Sun" premiered onZane Lowe'sRadio 1 show on April 8, 2013. It was then confirmed by the band's official Facebook page that the song would be released on iTunes on April 8.
On May 6, 2013, an animation featuring half of the song "I Appear Missing" was launched from the website www.likeclockwork.tv.[38] On May 8, the band performed a couple of their new songs on a small intimate concert in Antwerp ('Zuiderpershuis'), called 'Club 69', an exclusive show with only 69 invited couples. Tickets had to be won on Studio Brussel. The set included "My God Is the Sun", "I Sat by the Ocean", "Keep Your Eyes Peeled" and "If I Had a Tail". A few days later on May 14, part of the track "Kalopsia" appeared on the site. A day later on May 15, part of "Keep Your Eyes Peeled" was posted along with a full leak of the album on SoundCloud. The same day, the band performed "If I Had a Tail" and "My God Is the Sun" on the Dutch TV showDe Wereld Draait Door. May 16 saw "If I Had a Tail" posted to likeclockwork.tv with the final video in the series "My God Is the Sun" posted on May 17. On May 20, a short film of all five videos illustrated by Boneface and animated by British illustrator and animator Liam Brazier was released.
On May 23, a live performance of the band atThe Wiltern was broadcast live onNPR's website, and featured all the songs from the album except for "Fairweather Friends". On May 28, free streaming of the album was made available oniTunes. On May 29, the CD-quality version of the album appeared onfile sharing networks.
...Like Clockwork has received critical acclaim. According toMetacritic, it is their most acclaimed album sinceSongs for the Deaf (2002), with anaverage score of 82, based on 46 reviews.[40] Giving the album five stars out of five,Stephen Thomas Erlewine ofAllMusic commented that"'...Like Clockwork' is unusually focused for a Queens of the Stone Age record, containing all of the group's hallmarks — namely volume and crunch, but also a tantalizing sense of danger, finding seduction within the darkness."[41] AtAlternative Press, Dan Slessor wrote that "surrendering to its strange charms could be one of the smartest decisions you make this year."[50]
Later in the year,NME ranked it at number 335 in its list ofThe 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[54] Also in December 2014,NME ranked it as number 25 on their list of the 25 Best Albums of the Decade So Far.[55]
In 2024,Loudwire staff elected it as the best hard rock album of 2013.[56]
The album debuted at number 1 on theBillboard 200 with sales of over 91,000 copies in its first week.[57] It is the band's first album to reach number 1 on the chart. It is also the band's biggest first-week sales since the release of their 2005 album,Lullabies to Paralyze. The album debuted at number 2 on theCanadian Albums Chart, selling 11,000 copies in its first week. In 2014 it was awarded a diamond certification from theIndependent Music Companies Association,[58] which indicated sales of at least 200,000 copies throughout Europe.[59]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
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