Them Crooked Vultures

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Them Crooked Vultures

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Yes, I am a fan of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, FOO FIGHTERS and LED ZEP. I even saw THEM CROOKED VULTURES in a terrific show in DC, prior to this release. That said, I still dropped this disc in the tray, hit play, and was prepared to skip tracks if they did not grab me in the first minute; it's a lame habit, but I do eventually listen to all discs in their entirety. This album had me mesmerized for 1 hour and 6 minutes. No skipping! It is extremely well crafted from start to finish. With Homme's haunting vocals, it does sound more like a QOTSA release than anything else, but many of the catchy songs are designed to highlight the considerable talents of his bandmates. Instant classic. Buy it now. Let's hope this is not just a side project for the performers. These vultures should "carrion". sorry...

Before I get flamed by fans of either Them Crooked Vultures, Queens Of The Stone Age (or Kyuss, for that matter. KYUSS LIVES!), Nirvana, Foo Fighters, and to a great extent, Led Zeppelin, let me just say this: This album is not that bad. It's certainly a lot better than the garbage that comes out today as "real RAWK music." That being said, this album, while not terrible, certainly could've been a lot better. It's one of the biggest musical disappointments of 2009.

Now, before I get flamed, let me point out the positives: Each member really shines is their own way. You have the biting fuzzed out psychedelic guitar styles of Josh Homme, the pounding "take-no-prisoners" attack of Dave Grohl, and the cool and sophisticated bass lines of John Paul Jones. The album has a sweet mix with a very druggy vibe. Instruments pop in and out, swirling phased vocals rear their head, panning effects give the album a nice touch. It's a very expensive sounding record, and very professional.

And there are some killer tunes too. The first 6, to be honest, are just fantastic. The sex groove of No One Loves Me & Neither Do I is irresistible, and when they lay the heaviness down near the end, it's relentless. Mind Eraser, No Chaser does sound like R-era Queens, but it's got a killer hook and some fun guitarwork. New Fang is a very trippy paranoid head rush of a song. Dead End Friends is another Queens-esque rocker, but it has a really great bassline from Mr. Jones. The album really shows it's "supergroup" status though, with Elephants laying down a seductive head-nodding groove and a fast-paced riff ripped straight off of Physical Grafitti. Speaking of which, the song Scumbag Blues might be the best thing on the album, a funky headbanger with some clavinet straight out of Trampled Underfoot. The interplay between all 3 members on this song is memorizing.

But after that song, the album fails to keep me interested. And that is my huge gripe with this album: It's too long, and there are too many bad songs after Side 1. In fact, Warsaw and Caligulove are the only two songs off of the second half that kept my interest. Bandoliers doesn't have anything to offer to the table (and is way too long), Reptiles sound like a bad Nine Inch Nails leftover, and don't get me started about the murky bad acid trip that is Interlude With Ludes. I hope I never get to hear that song ever again.

Fortuantly, things pick up steam a little with Warsaw. The chorus kinda ruins the flow, but it makes up for it with a killer high speed jam and very psychedelic vocals from Homme. But that's really the last keeper. Caligulove is alright, but kind of a throwaway, and Gunman and the closer, Spinning In Daffodils, really do nothing for me, especially the latter. They're both repetitious and add nothing new to the table.

That being said, it's not a bad album. It could've been so much more, though, considering that each musician is special in their own way. Perhaps the second album will be better? One can only wait and see.