10 Perfect Rock Music Albums Of The 2010s
3. Like Clockwork - Queens Of The Stone Age
No great album comes together without a little bit of an uphill battle. Even though it sometimes sounds like a band just pumps out their tunes for the hell of it, there's always that X factor that takes a little more effort than you probably realize. And as for the Queens, the road to recovery felt almost impossible if you saw what Josh Homme went through.
Before they had even stepped into the studio to make the record, Homme had to go through surgery and was almost declared dead on the operating table after an adverse reaction to medication. Rejuvenated after his brush with mortality, Homme feels truly energized on Like Clockwork, which feels as much like a celebration of Queens' journey as it is a continuation of their legacy.
Although Homme has some part in every single one of these songs, the guest features on here feel like one massive party, bringing in Elton John for Fairweather Friends and reuniting with Dave Grohl for the first time since the Songs for the Deaf days on the song My God is the Sun. Never for a minute does it stop sounding like a Queens record. It's dirty, it's sleazy in spots, and it's more than a little bit off putting if this is your first go around. Once you take the deep dive though, you're in for one of the best experiences that rock has to offer.