Review: Them Crooked Vultures

Them Crooked Vultures, comprised of Queens of the Stone Age lead singer and guitarist Josh Homme, Foo Fighters lead singer/guitarist (turned drummer for TCV) Dave Grohl and Led Zepplin bassist John Paul Jones, recently dropped their first offering in disc form and, with three powerhouses such as these guys making all the noise, you should already know you’re in for a wild ride.

With musicians coming from three of the genre’s all-time best bands, the album, not surprisingly, borrows from all three sounds. Homme, Grohl and Jones all bring their own brand of dirty rock to the table and the result is something pretty special.

With Homme on the mic, it’s hard not to feel like you’re listening to a new QOTSA offering, but that’s not a bad thing in my book.

More like a well rehearsed jam session, TCV features 13 tracks of driving drums, grungy riffs and throaty bass lines any fan of smoky barroom rock should find easy to love.

There’s a little less gusto than I would have expected but otherwise, from “No one loves me and neither do I” to “Spinning in Daffodils,” there’s little not to like in this musical experiment.

What impresses me is the fact the album literally feels like a bunch of rock legends got together in a garage one day and bounced some ideas around until they came up with a collection of songs to call their own. It’s a solid sound that’s decently polished while still managing to hold on to plenty of “rough” around the edges.

What impresses me even more (and this is a credit to the talent on board) is how these three musicians can, on a whim, pull together a batch of ditties that so effortlessly puts the vast majority of what you hear on the radio these days to utter shame.