Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures Review

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 11.17.2009

Believe the hype.



Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
Review by Daniel Wilcox

Josh Homme – vocals, guitar
John Paul Jones – bass guitar
Dave Grohl – drums

Track listing:
1. No One Loves Me & Neither Do I
2. Mind Eraser, No Chaser
3. New Fang
4. Dead End Friends
5. Elephants
6. Scumbag Blues
7. Bandoliers
8. Reptiles
9. Interlude with Ludes
10. Warsaw or the First Breath You Take After You Give Up
11. Caligulove
12. Gunman
13. Spinning in Daffodils

Considering the ridiculous wealth of talent responsible for recording and producing this album, one might be forgiven for have somewhat high expectations for this, the self-titled debut album from supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, which is made up of Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones. I’d list the various successes each has been involved in, but if you’re not familiar with these guys, please make your way to the nearest exit. Not even Chickenfoot, which boasts the talents of Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Chad Smith and Michael Anthony, could lay claim to being the most talented supergroup to have emerged this year, despite having an additional member. So is there any way that this record could live up to the expectations?

The answer is a resounding yes, and not just in terms of the record’s quality, which is superb, but of the band’s sound. There are moments that are very much reminiscent of Led Zeppelin, such as the riff rock of “Elephants,” which pays homage to Zeppelin like I’ve never heard before. Elsewhere there are moments that are very much a reminder of the smashing work Homme has done with Queens of the Stone Age. He also lays down some pretty hefty solos here and there, which a particular former band mate of Jones’ would probably even be proud of; if you will, Homme takes a Page out of Zeppelin’s book. Homme, by the way, does the vast majority of vocal duty for those wondering. I was hoping he and Grohl would share that load more evenly, but alas, the Foo Fighter is limited to one chorus (“Mind Eraser, No Chaser”) and backing vocals.

Grohl does leave his fingerprints all over the record though. The drum intro of opening track “No One Loves Me...” is instantly recognizable as Grohl, and his drumming work throughout is sound. It sounds as if working with one of their idols has brought out the best in Grohl and Homme, and although the record as a whole comes off as one kick-ass jam session, it sounds as though all three guys are having the time of their lives. Indeed, Jones probably hasn’t had this much fun in thirty years. He lays down some pretty bad ass keyboard solos in addition to his stunning work on bass. “Reptiles” in particular, has some outstanding bass work and is very Zeppelin-like.

Lyrically, this is a bit of a silly record that. Most lyrics are clearly penned by Homme. But to me that just adds to the fun of it all. While they may be the most talented trio of musicians around, they don’t take themselves too seriously. They didn’t spend too long on this record; it’s very much riff rock but Them Crooked Vultures benefits from that.

Undoubtedly, Homme is the driving force of this album. As vocalist and guitarist, it’s natural that this record would sound like something of a distant cousin to R or Songs for the Deaf, particularly as Grohl did the drum work on the latter. His aggressive yet quirky style is seen all over this record, from the wandering digressions in single “New Fang,” to the cocky strut of “Gunman.” There’s plenty of psychedelic offerings here too, such as the awfully-titled “Interlude with Ludes,” and significant moments of the mammoth album-closer “Spinning in Daffodils.” There’s a few surprising pop-hooks too, such as that of “Bandoliers,” which oddly compliment the hard rock, guitar-smothered debut. Moments like this manage to make classic rock feel altogether contemporary and relevant.

Essential downloads: “No One Loves Me & Neither Do I,” “Mind Eraser, No Chaser,” “New Fang,” “Elephants,” “Bandoliers,” “Reptiles,” “Warsaw...” “Gunman” and “Spinning in Daffodils.”

The 411: I have no doubt that most people would have realized this going in, but this is an easy recommendation. I'll be the first to admit that this is not the best possible outcome when it comes to the potential of a Zeppelin/Foos/Queens collaboration, but it is three ridiculously talented individuals branching out a little bit and having a ton of fun. It just so happens that in the process they've managed to make one of the most entertaining albums of the year. Even if it doesn't match up to very best of each members' other works, I don't think there'd be too many people complaining if Grohl, Homme and Jones wanted to make Them Crooked Vultures a more permanent venture.

Final Score:  9.0   [  Amazing ]