01.
Them Crooked Vultures
Them Crooked Vultures
My God. Did I say ‘my God’? Sorry, I meant my Grohl. This actually is as good as I thought it might be. Wait, no, it’s actually better than I thought it might be. One of those ‘believe the hype’ situations. A supergroup indeed.
What do we have, then? Well, for those who don’t know (is there anybody?) this is Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters/Nirvana) and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin). Them Crooked Vultures sound more like Queens Of The Stone Age than either the Foo Fighters or Led Zeppelin, but that’s not surprising given that it’s Josh Homme on lead vocals and guitar. Whilst it might sound a bit like Queens Of The Stone Age, it’s better than anything they’ve put out since Songs For The Deaf in 2002, and, to be honest, it even rivals that masterpiece. It also beats anything that the Foo Fighters have managed since we changed centuries. And although I think it sounds most like Queens Of The Stone Age, there is plenty else in here – the bluesy undercurrent (most notable on tracks like ‘Scumbag Blues’, which I think is my favourite on the album, but then it’s hard to tell as they’re all so good) is presumably a John Paul Jones thing, and the perfectly understated use of piano and organ at various points certainly is. Dave Grohl’s drumming is rarely flashy (unlike, say, his work with Josh Homme on Songs For The Deaf). Rather, he does what’s necessary to make each song work: I recently noticed, for example, that the guitars and bass on the dancey ‘New Fang’ are pretty much the same all the way through, and it is the variety of the pace of the drums that turns the riff into the song.
‘Elephants’ is the bluesier brother of Queens Of The Stone Age’s classic ‘A Song For The Dead’. ‘Dead End Friends’ is a perfect little rock song and ‘Gunman’ is the best use of a wah wah pedal since Jimi Hendrix. These are my favourites, but every track is better than anything most bands could dream of. The only possible criticism of the album is that it is a little overlong, and there are a couple of tracks that are not quite as good as the rest. As I say, though, they’re still amazing (even the weakest track, ‘Interlude With Ludes’ – which I get the feeling they knocked up in an afternoon – is still a lot better than pretty much anything on the last Queens Of The Stone Age album).
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’d prefer it if we had no more Queens Of The Stone Age and no more Foo Fighters (and no more of whatever it is that John Paul Jones has been doing recently), and instead got a heap more of this. I just love Those Wonky Pigeons. Blinding.
Them Crooked Vultures
My God. Did I say ‘my God’? Sorry, I meant my Grohl. This actually is as good as I thought it might be. Wait, no, it’s actually better than I thought it might be. One of those ‘believe the hype’ situations. A supergroup indeed.
What do we have, then? Well, for those who don’t know (is there anybody?) this is Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters/Nirvana) and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin). Them Crooked Vultures sound more like Queens Of The Stone Age than either the Foo Fighters or Led Zeppelin, but that’s not surprising given that it’s Josh Homme on lead vocals and guitar. Whilst it might sound a bit like Queens Of The Stone Age, it’s better than anything they’ve put out since Songs For The Deaf in 2002, and, to be honest, it even rivals that masterpiece. It also beats anything that the Foo Fighters have managed since we changed centuries. And although I think it sounds most like Queens Of The Stone Age, there is plenty else in here – the bluesy undercurrent (most notable on tracks like ‘Scumbag Blues’, which I think is my favourite on the album, but then it’s hard to tell as they’re all so good) is presumably a John Paul Jones thing, and the perfectly understated use of piano and organ at various points certainly is. Dave Grohl’s drumming is rarely flashy (unlike, say, his work with Josh Homme on Songs For The Deaf). Rather, he does what’s necessary to make each song work: I recently noticed, for example, that the guitars and bass on the dancey ‘New Fang’ are pretty much the same all the way through, and it is the variety of the pace of the drums that turns the riff into the song.
‘Elephants’ is the bluesier brother of Queens Of The Stone Age’s classic ‘A Song For The Dead’. ‘Dead End Friends’ is a perfect little rock song and ‘Gunman’ is the best use of a wah wah pedal since Jimi Hendrix. These are my favourites, but every track is better than anything most bands could dream of. The only possible criticism of the album is that it is a little overlong, and there are a couple of tracks that are not quite as good as the rest. As I say, though, they’re still amazing (even the weakest track, ‘Interlude With Ludes’ – which I get the feeling they knocked up in an afternoon – is still a lot better than pretty much anything on the last Queens Of The Stone Age album).
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’d prefer it if we had no more Queens Of The Stone Age and no more Foo Fighters (and no more of whatever it is that John Paul Jones has been doing recently), and instead got a heap more of this. I just love Those Wonky Pigeons. Blinding.