Album review: "Them Crooked Vultures"
Patrick Haynes
Issue date: 11/18/09 Section: The Edge
What happens when you mix members from Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters and Led Zeppelin together? You get one of the most promising debut bands of the year.
Them Crooked Vultures members include lead singer and guitarist Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, drummer Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and Nirvana and bassist John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin. The best ingredients from the members' other bands are merged together, along with a few influences by bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Doors, to create a unique sound that hasn't been present in music for decades.
The self-titled debut album begins with the song "No One Loves Me and Neither Do I," which begins with Grohl thrashing at the instrument that made him famous long before he became the popular singer he is today. The first notable element of the record is that Homme's guitar riffs are not in the style that he is known for from Queens of the Stone Age, but more similar to Jones' former bandmate in Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page. The singing is also in a style that is very reminiscent of classic rock, which Homme has always been known for. The breakdown of the song recalls those of the past from Led Zeppelin's classic albums, featuring some bass playing that the music world has been missing since "Dazed and Confused" came onto the radio.
The first single, "New Fang," is after the wah-pedal, riff based second song, "Mind Eraser, No Chaser." "New Fang" begins with a heavy drum introduction, something which is a pattern on this album. The element of the band that is most interesting is something that has always been present in Homme's other bands. He has a unique writing-style that seems to effortlessly mesh fun and absurd lyrics with heavy riffs. Something that can't go without mention is Jones' mastery of instruments outside of his primary bass work. In the eighth song, "Reptiles," Jones jams on everything from the slide guitar to the mandolin to the bass. This style of musical proficiency has never been in either of Grohl or Homme's past bands and features prominently on this album, as Jones plays a total of six instruments throughout. Between all three's talent this is one of the breadout songs on the album
The album is finished with a trio of tracks titled, "Caligulove," "Gunman" and "Spinning in Daffodils," which fly by faster than the rest of the album, despite taking up over 17 minutes of the total time. The standout is "Gunman," which shows how great and under-rated of a guitarist Homme is, which was never criminally unnoticed in Queens of the Stone Age's albums. A certain attitude is carried by the riffs that make the listener think that Homme may not be writing the riffs for any reason other than to show that he can.
Many bands formed this year and released debut albums, "super-group" or not, and Them Crooked Vultures' album leaves the listener knowing that this is one of the best of the year, and hoping that they will release many more.
Them Crooked Vultures members include lead singer and guitarist Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, drummer Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and Nirvana and bassist John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin. The best ingredients from the members' other bands are merged together, along with a few influences by bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Doors, to create a unique sound that hasn't been present in music for decades.
The self-titled debut album begins with the song "No One Loves Me and Neither Do I," which begins with Grohl thrashing at the instrument that made him famous long before he became the popular singer he is today. The first notable element of the record is that Homme's guitar riffs are not in the style that he is known for from Queens of the Stone Age, but more similar to Jones' former bandmate in Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page. The singing is also in a style that is very reminiscent of classic rock, which Homme has always been known for. The breakdown of the song recalls those of the past from Led Zeppelin's classic albums, featuring some bass playing that the music world has been missing since "Dazed and Confused" came onto the radio.
The first single, "New Fang," is after the wah-pedal, riff based second song, "Mind Eraser, No Chaser." "New Fang" begins with a heavy drum introduction, something which is a pattern on this album. The element of the band that is most interesting is something that has always been present in Homme's other bands. He has a unique writing-style that seems to effortlessly mesh fun and absurd lyrics with heavy riffs. Something that can't go without mention is Jones' mastery of instruments outside of his primary bass work. In the eighth song, "Reptiles," Jones jams on everything from the slide guitar to the mandolin to the bass. This style of musical proficiency has never been in either of Grohl or Homme's past bands and features prominently on this album, as Jones plays a total of six instruments throughout. Between all three's talent this is one of the breadout songs on the album
The album is finished with a trio of tracks titled, "Caligulove," "Gunman" and "Spinning in Daffodils," which fly by faster than the rest of the album, despite taking up over 17 minutes of the total time. The standout is "Gunman," which shows how great and under-rated of a guitarist Homme is, which was never criminally unnoticed in Queens of the Stone Age's albums. A certain attitude is carried by the riffs that make the listener think that Homme may not be writing the riffs for any reason other than to show that he can.
Many bands formed this year and released debut albums, "super-group" or not, and Them Crooked Vultures' album leaves the listener knowing that this is one of the best of the year, and hoping that they will release many more.
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