Queens Of The Stone Age – …LIKE CLOCKWORK arrived in 2013 as the band’s long-awaited sixth record, their first release in six years and their debut on Matador Records after parting ways with Interscope. The wait mattered. Josh Homme and company had gone quiet for a stretch that felt longer than it was, and this record carried the weight of that silence with it.
Why Queens Of The Stone Age – …LIKE CLOCKWORK Still Holds Up
The album reunited a remarkable cast. Dave Grohl, Nick Oliveri, and Mark Lanegan all returned to the fold here, making this something of a homecoming record alongside its role as a forward-looking one. Produced by Homme alongside the band and recorded by Mark Rankin with additional engineering from Justin Smith at Homme’s own Pink Duck studio in Burbank, California, the record has a sound that feels deliberately controlled and carefully placed. Every element earned its space. The artwork, handled by UK artist Boneface, matches that intentionality. His visual style is immediately recognizable and gives the packaging a weight that suits the music.
Pressing Details: Format, Label, and Catalog Information
This is the standard vinyl edition, released on Matador Records under catalog number OLE 1040. The pressing spans two LPs, both cut at 45rpm on 150 gram vinyl. The choice to go 45rpm across two discs rather than cramming everything onto a single 33rpm record is a meaningful one. Higher rotational speed means wider groove spacing, which translates directly to improved dynamic range and channel separation. You hear the low end with more definition. Transients hit cleaner. For a record this precisely produced, that distinction is not academic, it is audible.
Who Should Own This Copy
If you came up with Queens of the Stone Age through the early Interscope years and drifted away before this one landed, this pressing is a good reason to pay attention again. The Matador relationship brought a different kind of care to the physical release, and the 45rpm double LP format reflects that. Collectors who prioritize sonics over shelf efficiency will appreciate the engineering decisions behind this configuration. The Boneface artwork also holds up as a physical object. This is a record that rewards the format it was pressed in, and the format was chosen with clear intent. Catalog number OLE 1040, two discs, 150 gram, 45rpm.
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