| CD REVIEW Them Crooked Vultures |
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Band : Them Crooked Vultures Them Crooked Vultures are comprised of Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones. Their music blends elements of each member's respected sound. The music is phenomenal in places, weak in others. Josh Homme welcomes us in on the very first track “No one loves me and neither do I”, with a snaking or if you prefer snaqueen guitar lead and an awesome tempo change and from then on he is running on a full tank. “Scumbag blues”, “Elephants” and “Gunman” are perfectly tailored groove fu(n)ckers, with the requisite uplifting choruses, soaring and heart-shredding guitar solos. A lot of this album is clearly influenced by Homme, to the point where tracks like “New fang”, “Spinning in daffoldils”, “Caligulove” and “Bandoliers” sound like leftovers for the perfect album Songs for the deaf. While Homme runs the show, the other musicians are anything but wasted. “Dead end friends” and “Warsaw or the first breath you take after you give up” brings Jones’ Zeppelin-influenced licks, and the rest of the album has him signing a varied and confident, though restrained performance. Grohl becomes the surprise of the bunch, putting in a solid and attractive performance on the drums. Though I couldn’t give a rat’s arse about Foo Fighters, Grohl is the main draw of this album for me. And he doesn’t disappoint. Like Cozy Powell, he is the kind of hitman who knows how to keep it simple, straight forward and still sound absolutely awesome.As for singer Homme, his medium-range register fits the songs perfectly, never straying from the comfort zone, but never underwhelming, either, and always harmonizing well with Grohl’s equally melodious backings. While there are good songs on display here, they just don't push themselves hard enough to be anything spectacular. All in all, then, Them Crooked Vultures provide a solid full-length debut. 85/100 Cosmicmasseur. |