Them Crooked Vultures is a gut punching riff rock album from the very first song. Very rarely do you hear of such potent combinations as Joshua Homme, Dave Grohl, and John Paul Jones, but when they come along they are something to pay attention to. Unlike the Chickenfoot super-group, who were hailed as the saviors of riff rock, TCV manages to create a soundscape that is clean, loose, and enjoyable.

Joshua Homme, of Queens of The Stone Age fame, doesn’t show anything new, but the riffs he plays are solid, heavy and sultry, dirty and refined, all rolled into one. They not only serve as the foundation of the song, they achieve a threatening sense of sentience, making you feel like with just a flick of a switch the controlled chaos going on behind the vocals will erupt in a massive explosion. He proves this with the second half of “No One Loves Me And Neither Do I” where after a blues-y and tongue-in-cheek song, appears a demonic and hypnotic section that is heavier than many bands can even dream of.

John Paul Jones’ playing, while subtle, is just what we’ve come to expect from him. His bass loads the lower end of the acoustic space with a barrage of riffs. Whether following Homme’s guitar or providing cross-beats, the bass is one of the most standout parts of this album. The beginning of New Fang features a fantastic twist on a blues riff that is delightfully bouncy in its identity. It sucks you in from the beginning and allows Homme to let loose in the interludes with some experimenting with sounds. While the bass is quieter in the mix than many would want, the presence it exudes is evident throughout. JPJ, however, is not just a bass player and reiterates this fact by playing his famous mellotron on many songs, most notably on “Caligulove,” leaving Grouhl to hold the beat with Homme’s guitar.

For his part, Dave Grohl provides a very athletic and addictive backing to the chaos that is Homme. While Homme always appears to be on the edge of insanity, Grohl’s drumming provides the needed dose of consistency and sanity. Grouhl also adds backing vocals which are a much appreciated addition. His voice cuts through the mix with power and intensity to assist Homme in the most dramatic parts.

As for the songs themselves, there are many standout tracks. The humorous “Dead End Friends” demonstrates some of the more simplistic writing from the trio while maintaining an edgy tone. Other tracks such as “Caligulove,” “Gunman,” and “Reptiles” feature some of the most intense riffs and an impending sense of doom and/or gloom. Other tracks such as the aforementioned “No One Loves Me…” and “Elephants” feature the most complex writing and though they show off the musicianship between the three, some of the cohesion of the album seems to get lost in the shuffle here and there. The only real low points of the album are the tracks such as “Warsaw Or The First Breath You Take After You Give Up” which, as its ridiculously lengthy titled implies, is a long exploration into pointlessness, or “Spinning In Daffodils” which, although shorter than “Warsaw…,” suffers from many of the same problems.

The production quality is slick, allowing these three very different musicians to occupy one world and not sound cluttered. The melodies and their ensuing lyrics seem to take after Jim Morrison in that they continually change and almost appear nonsensical, but that is part of the charm of the album. It does take after primarily Homme’s QOTSA albums, but there is a great deal of originality and life within the three and their next album should prove quite spectacular.

Recommended Tracks: No One Loves Me & Neither Do I, Mind Eraser No Chaser, New Fang, Dead End Friends, and Caligulove

 

By AJ Rekdahl