10 Most Underappreciated Rock Albums
4. Queens Of The Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork
By 2013, it felt like QOTSA had settled into the heritage act phase of their career quite happily. They hadn’t released any new material since 2007 but had toured persistently and had put a lot of effort into re-releasing their back catalogue in fancy tenth anniversary editions.
Josh Homme’s mental health issues had reportedly kept him away from writing until his bandmates convinced him to give it a try. In his own words “… I think I was just lost, looking for something in the dark. In that dark I found ...Like Clockwork."
Us mere mortals may never fully appreciate the power of inspiration and the call of the muse, but whatever intangible element was working through him in the studio, you can't deny that, by god, Homme is on fire on this record. Touring the old records and playing them in full reportedly helped him remember his musical influences and the entire concoction makes for what could be QOTSA’s best work (words that cannot be expressed lightly when Rated R and Songs For The Deaf are in the conversation). You wouldn't wish depression on anybody but Josh makes it sound so good.
Standout Tracks: I Sat By The Ocean, If I had A Tail, My God Is The Sun, Fairweather Friends, Smooth Sailing