Sometimes, the added up is greater than just the things by themselves. Is that the case with Them Crooked Vultures? It is a great cocktail! Mix one part Led Zeppelin in the amazing John Paul Jones, add two parts Dave Grohl as the former member of Nirvana and the Foo Fighter on drums, add a splash or two of Josh Homme the guitarist and vocalist of The King of Queens and what happens is sometimes amazing, and never ever uninteresting. Many on the websites have complained that more should be assumed with the resumes of these three fellows but rest assured this is not a recording for the short attention span.
First off is 'No One Loves Me...' with a groovy slimy ZZ Top like feeling. Their are cowbell type sounds to augment reminicient of 'Goin' Crazy' by David Lee Roth (I'm dating myself agewise with that!). There's a lot of depth to this record, but track one lays out the map of the rest of the songs: strong foundations of deep bass and head bobbing drum thumps, topped with sexual guitar and Josh Homme's boyschool tenor vocal. 'New Fang' is a pure Zeppelin homage replete with 'Rock N Roll' type drums slowed down to a more love making tempo. Look no further for pure Zeppelin echos than 'Elephants', sounding like an outtake from 'Houses Of The Holy'.
'Bandoliers' and 'Reptiles' are more stomp affairs, recalling Homme's other bread-winner, while 'Caligulove' is a hand clapping sort with wonderful carnival organ flourishs and deeply panned guitar stabs. 'Spinning in Daffodills' has the obligatory LSD like harmonies and arrangement. 'In A Gadda Da Vultures!' Overall, this album did not smack me initially but as the plays continue I find myself coming back and enjoying it even better. If they make it to Sweden soon I'm hoping to secure a seat!
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