Those Smooth Vultures

Those Smooth Vultures
By Mark Paul McIntyre

Too bad I didn’t have money two weeks ago. A band came to the Portland area that would have been one of the most fun to see. With Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana) on the drums, and the lead vocalist and guitarist was Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Them Crooked Vultures definitely has its flavor intact. That alone draws me to try out the music. But once, I read that the bassist and keyboardist none other than John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame, I knew I had nothing to fear. The overall flow of the album is amazing.

If you buy the album on ITunes, it opens with an exclusive song, “No One Loves Me & Neither Do I” that may remind you of a jam song. But it’s the next few songs that’s where the album has its fire. “Mind Eraser (No Chaser)” has the makings of a rock hit on its own. Cleaver lyrics and an up-tempo sound make you want to thrash about. Followed by "New Fang", the first single released one week before its release, it gives you a one two punch that makes you remember when you used to listen straight through albums. The song runs with pure enthusiasm. This pulling and releasing in the sound makes you become entranced by the vocals.

The album continues onward and you soon find yourself brought into its control. At almost seven minutes long, “Elephants” has a smooth intro that is melds into almost a different song. While most may be overlook it, “Scumbag Blues” holds killer riffs. If you like songs that blend several genres together, there is one song you shouldn’t miss on the back side of this album. “Warsaw or the First Breath You Take After You Give Up” blends blues and hard rock and with a little of influence from their bass player. It is one of those songs that will never get airplay because of its length but may be the best song on the whole album (and maybe the best pure rock song of this year). At the halfway point one loses track of time as you get an amazing piece of rock heaven as you get to see why these artists may work as well together as in any band they have ever been in.

This is an album that may be one of the most ambitious in the rock genre of 2009. It may have a couple of fillers, but what album doesn’t these days. In fact, what may be fillers on this album may be small hits for lesser bands. If you have a chance, check out this album during the holiday season. You won’t be disappointed in what you find if you like these artists. It may even bring some over that may not care for the current rock sound. This is definitely a throw back. 4/5 doctors will recommend you trying this.