Chris Hogg
The year 2009 might go down in music history as the Year of the Band Hook-Up. From the addition of Johnny Marr to the Cribs, to Jack White’s latest side project The Dead Weather, to the frankly bemusing duet between Lady Gaga and Michael Ball, it seems everyone in the music industry is getting together. Possibly the most anticipated of collaborations comes in the form of the self titled album of Them Crooked Vultures the supergroup of: guitar and vocalist Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), bassist John Paul Jones (Led Zepplin) with Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters and Nirvana) on drums.
In a music scene dominated by overbearing synthesisers, Joy Division wannabes and 80s influence, this album comes as a refreshing change as a simple rock and roll record. Them Crooked Vultures seems like a big mixing bag of influences, from the blues infused growling guitar and reeled off vocal of No One Loves Me And Neither Do I, to the almost funk-like bass line of Scumbag Blues or oddly experimental Interludes With Ludes. Meanwhile Dave Grohl’s return to playing the drums gives the album a driving force and reaffirms him as one of the greatest drummers in the world today. But the band manages to pull their influences together into a coherent and dynamic collection of songs.
At the same time the album is not without its faults. Haters of Queens of the Stone Age are unlikely to be won over by the return of Josh Hommes trademark distorted guitar flourishes, which appear en-masse on this record. Meanwhile songs such as Dead End Friends and Mind Eraser, No Chaser steer disappointing close to his tried and tested QotSA formula, detracting from their otherwise diverse sound.
Nonetheles Them Crooked Vultures’s debut is a formidable rock record, which will no doubt prove to be one of the most important albums of the year.