Them Crooked Vultures should come with a warning: Once you crack open this album and start listening, you’ll probably want to kick the rest of your CD collection aside and leave it to gather dust for all of eternity. And if you stopped buying CDs years ago, no worries; the entire album is streaming for free on YouTube.
Calling Them Crooked Vultures a supergroup wouldn’t begin to do this heavy-hitting trio justice; the all-star collaboration features Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) on guitar, Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) on drums and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) on bass. Each of these epic influences is evident on TCV’s eponymously titled album; it’s got a classic rock feel with a modern edge.
Though each of these musicians have respectively churned out some mainstream hits, TCV’s collaborative sound is decidely rough around the edges — they could eat pre-packaged, glossy rock groups and next-big-thing indie bands for breakfast.
The album opens with the bone-crushing riffs of “No One Loves Me and Neither Do I,” along with percussion that will make fans nostalgic for Grohl’s stints as a drummer. Grohl is a hell of a Foo’s frontman, but on Them Crooked Vultures, he attacks his kit with such ferocity that listeners might question his sanity.
Every track includes some kind of surprise, like the brass outro on “Mind Eraser, No Chaser.” The album’s first single and one of its tighter tracks, “New Fang,” has a bit of a twang, but it’s too dirty to be considered country.
The ass-kicking, mind-blowing, ridiculously intense riffs continue on “Elephants,” which sounds like the soundtrack to the moments leading up to a car crash or an explosion; it’s so ridiculously heavy it sounds almost dangerous.
The groovy “Scumbag Blues,” definitely has a bluesy feel, but it’s rock ‘n’ roll to the core. Though the percussion on “Bandoliers” is fierce, this mellow track gives listeners a break from the intensity of the rest of the album. “Reptiles” layers luscious grooves with riff after grinding riff. Each track is rowdier, grittier and crazier than the next — because really, what do these guys have to lose?
The energy of Them Crooked Vultures never really wanes, but it does wind down occasionally. Tracks that are seven-plus minutes long need to be really interesting to keep even the most dedicated fans listening, and “Warsaw or the First Breath You Take After You Give Up,” just barely makes the cut. Them Crooked Vultures heats right back up again, though, with the crunchy, sexy “Caligulove,” which features a dream-like organ solo.
If this album is flawed in any way, it’s that it is a bit indulgent. It sounds like these rockers threw caution to the wind and made the record they’ve been waiting to make for years, regardless of potential for mass appeal. The tracks get more experimental as the album progresses, but they don’t really convey a specific point of view to listeners (unless the point is, this album rocks — end of story).
But at the same time, that devil-may-care attitude powers these songs. Them Crooked Vultures reckelessly surges forward, challenging our notions of rock ‘n’ roll and showcasing what these musicians are capable of. Maybe it’s not radio-friendly, but who cares? Music is more fun to listen to when it’s obvious a musician has poured his soul into it.
Them Crooked Vultures (the band and the album) is what rock ‘n’ roll fans have been waiting for. It would be a refreshing sort of kick-in-the-pants, except for the fact it’ll make you bang your head so hard you’ll need four aspirin and a nap to recover. Whether this trio goes down in rock history or disappears as quickly as it has exploded onto the scene, you’ll want to crank this album up and blast it at full volume.
4 1/2 stars out of 5.
