Them Crooked Vultures

A little sample:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYYdli0P8YI

They played a show at Pukkelpop festival in Belgium. They were announced as a mystery surprise act, but of course it got leaked weeks on beforehand.
I wasn't impressed at all though. Clearly a hobby project for all involved, the songs sounded like leftovers from a QOTSA album, with all the trademark tricks we know from Homme by now. Not horrible bad, it's just that such a combination of stellar musicians should blow your mind, and for me it just doesn't.
Anyway, decide for yourself, here's some footage from the concert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgnUzcnqPeA

November 17th

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdail...november-17th/

Comments? I came here only to post the news but I was beaten.

Honestly, I wish Grohl and JPJ had teamed up with a more interesting guitarist and vocalist. I was going to say "distinctive," but that's not quite right, since this is certainly identifiable as Josh Homme's work. It's just that his writing, singing, and playing is kind of middle-of-the-road.

It just strikes me as Queens of the Led Fighters, kinda. Not that this is a terrible thing, but I'm just hoping that this song is a one-off and that the other material congeals into something more interesting.

I just picked it. This sounds like an QSA outtake. Josh has some great riffs or climatic songs.
Dave, any love for Queens?

As far as I'm concerned Homme was the driving force behind at least two of the best hard rock records of the last couple of decades, so he's alright by me. But hearing this I do kind of wish they'd gone all out with the supergroup thing and brought in a new vocalist, or at least taken the opportunity to explore some kind of new direction or style, cos I have to agree with the sentiment that this track doesn't do much to distinguish itself from a QOTSA record.

Songs and Lullabies? Era Vulgaris deserve more love!

I was thinking Rated R more than Lullabies. That one and Vulgaris are mostly fine as well, but both start to sag a bit towards the end (as does Songs, really, but the peaks on that one are too high to ignore). Plus the loss of Oliveri and reduction of the Lannegan factor did take a bit of the pizazz out of their sound - Homme's approach works great when fitted with different singers, hence my mild disapproval of him playing frontman again here.

I liked Songs for the Deaf a lot when I got it (mainly on the basis of Grohl's drumming) and I like some stuff on Rated R, but I barely ever want to listen to their music. It's okay, but I just don't detect a lot going on there, musically or lyrically, so I get bored with it pretty quickly when I do put it on.

Come to think of it, Lanegan might have made a better frontman for this band. Put someone else on guitar, and they might really have something there.

I'll get Rated as soon as I can then. I agree lyrically there's little return. And listening to them more than 7 tracks in a row ends in diminishing returns
Re another singer: the bites I caught on youtube featuring Josh and P.J. Harvey are awesome too.

I really dig QOTSA, though I also find them to be a bit too all over the place and spotty, which a little more lows than highs.

Also, I really like their live sound/performances better than their studio work.

Looking forward to this, even if it only ends up being an interesting QOTSA offshoot.

I just came hard.

You mean http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNyhZWJVMIU
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_lis...&v=W4O3LnDsPik ?

ETA Jake made me choke twice today...

Lanegan on full time vocals would be great but I'm honestly a bit bewildered that anyone would go out of their way to knock Homme's guitar playing. He's come up with a respectable number of phenomenal riffs and his solos are always tasteful and often pretty creative. Along with the Melvin's Night Goat, A Song For The Deaf would be one of my top picks for rock riffs to soundtrack the dawning of the apocalypse.

The only QOTSA disc that I can listen to from beginning to end is Era Vulgaris. I even included it in my top 10 of the decade, but to be honest, if I were making my list right now, I'm not sure it would make the cut.

There's still much to love on the rest of their albums, though. Just not one of my go-to bands when I need something reliable to listen to.

'No One Knows' owns me all the time.

Queens last two albums are half crap.

As for Lanegan, he needs to make another solo album. Its been too damn long.

Check out his latest one with Soulsavers. It's the closest we're gonna get to a new solo album from him and it's pretty great.

Checked out New Fang last night. Meh.

Link's dead, youtube here.

Much, much, much better than New Fang. I'm optimistic about neo-QOTSA.

EDIT: A snippet of "Gunman" from their official YT channel here.

How the hell am I just hearing about this group?

I like.

I'm really digging Mind Eraser, and I agree with you Ray Abed, I think Era Vulgaris my favorite Queens album. I know most people feel like they went downhill after Songs for the Deaf, but for my money Era is their strongest work.

My only problem is the left out the title track, for whatever reason. If you haven’t heard it, go check it out. It sounds a little out of place on the album but it' still a great tune.

I'm really surprised this hasn't leaked yet. People are rabid for it.

Pretty much everything you've posted in this thread could have been pulled right out of my mind Fritz. With Oliveri on board they were the best band on the planet and when Grohl slid in on drums they were even better. But when Nick crashed and burned they lost not only the crazy unpredictible punk animal, but a good deal of smart and catchy melody too. And any band with Mark Lannegan on board is an order of magnitude more badass than one without him.

It's sad what happened to Queens but it's an age old story in rock'n'roll. So is the supergroup that's less than the sum of its parts.

So happy that I work for a radio station. Have been playing the tracks we've managed to acquire over and over for the last two days. Looking forward to the full release.

http://www.youtube.com/themcrookedvultures - Whole album streaming from here. Beware of the "leaked" copy that's basically a shitty mp4 rip of this.

Yeah, this is pretty great.

Digging it so far. Seems to get more interesting and unique as it goes along, like after the first 4 songs or so they start throwing in more experimentation and creativity.

Maybe it's just the huge Zeppelin fan in me but I think what really makes it for me is the presence of John Paul Jones. And it's not just having his bass playing in there, I can totally hear his influence all over the songwriting, composition, arrangements etc. Again, increasingly so as the album progresses, but even in the album's most QOTSA-esque moments his subtle nuances are there spicing things up.

It also seems like Homme is indulging his weirder side more in the second half of the album. And of course Grohl is a powerhouse throughout. Was hoping to hear more of his vocals too, but oh well.

I wouldn't call it great by any means. It's decent, as is basically everything Lanegan is a part of, but I want a Mark Lanegan album, not The Gutter Twins, not Isobel Cambell and not Soulsavers. Now the Screaming Trees is an entirely different story...

One first listen this sounds like a good album, everyone gets plenty of chances to shine. Is that not Lanegan on the final track? Rather surprised that detail was left undisclosed until now.

It's nice to see JPJ getting so much love these days. I always thought he was Zep's secret weapon, and if one thing was clear from their reunion show it's that he was the one member who honestly hadn't lost a thing. Also kind of funny how much the old 'rock and roll is a young man's game' attitude has changed, when one of the most anticipated rock records of the year has the participation of a guy in his 60's as one of its main selling points.

Yeah, I'll revoke "great" for "good". I think I'm just so starved for a new solo album from this fucking guy at this point that I'll take anything.

I don't think it's Lanegan, I think it's just layered vocals with Homme going REALLY low, but I'd love to be wrong.

EDIT: There's a couple of breaks (specifically around the 3 minute mark and the 3:40 mark) that just sound like Homme dicking around in baritone.

Totally seconded on the JPJ love, too.

You might be right. If it's Homme i'd never have guessed he could hit those low notes though.

JPJ is a fucking amazing guy.

I was at Bonnaroo (07) the year he joined in on the big "all star jam" thing with Questlove, Ben Harper and others.

Not only did he do that, but he jammed with just about every other band that would have him.

But the coolest part was that most days of the festival, you could find him just wandering around the general camping area with his mandolin, jamming with any of the attendees who happened to also be musicians/have instruments handy.

This album slays.

I gotta say, the first time I gave it a spin, I felt like it was a bunch of QOTSA b-sides backed by JPJ and Grohl, but it's really cohered over a few more listens. It's pretty obvious that Homme is the mastermind behind most of these songs, but JPJ has brought a lot of his little stylistic quirks (lap steel and piano).

It's not exactly reinventing the wheel, it's just a really fun jam session between some excellent musicians, and on that level it's a much bigger success than any other supergroup in recent memory. I'm sort of surprised by how weird it is. I mean, you have the requisite classic rock jams filled with heavy Zeppelin riffs (the riff that hits at 2:44 into "No One Loves Me & Neither Do I" might be the best Homme has been involved with since Songs for the Deaf) but what keeps bringing me back for more are the strange stylistic inclusions.

I mean, first there's just the unorthodox timing that owes a ton to math rock, though since Homme has gotten more interested in that as his career has progressed, it's no surprise (just look at "Elephants"). But then there's the Western/Morricone vibe in "Reptiles," amongst others (loving the lap steel). Or the weird sleazy lounge singer vibe of "Interlude with Ludes" (which owes quite a debt to Era Vulgaris' "I'm Designer"). The Zeppelin/Doors chug of "Caligulove." But more than anything, the disco-skronk groove of "Gunman" is just totally out of left-field.

It doesn't sound like they care about selling albums. This is musician's music, plain and simple. I don't think this is going to get a lot of positive press, but I'm happy to hear that this will probably be more than a one-off album for the group. I think they could put out a cohesive album once they're finished touring.

EDIT: I will say that it's sort of a shame that the worst tracks come up so early on in the album (I'd argue tracks 2-4), which might have some people write it off before it really heats up. "Mind Eraser, No Chaser" isn't really bad so much as it isn't tonally consistent with the rest of the album. It feels like a QOTSA song with a Foo Fighters chorus. "New Fang" feels like an epic told in half the time. "Dead End Friends" just isn't good, period.

"Bandoliers" might end up being one of my favorite rock songs of the year.

I agree Anthony that the album is slightly back-loaded, but they really let the freak flag fly towards the end. I was remarking to a friend that JPJ is the secret weapon here. He's an absolute beast on this record.

I don't know how I missed all this, but yeah, all this. Especially re: that riff that kicks in during "No One Loves Me". Just beastly.

Why are people cumming all over 'Songs for the Deaf, Pt. 2'?

Who said I didn't like it/think it had merit?

Just questioning the insta-love of songs that are VERY similar to 'SftD' considering.

It's not bad at all, but it's treading the same rock cliches yet again. Adding some JPJ doesn't kill the Homme/Grohl monster.

This album owes about as much to Songs for the Deaf as it does to Lullabies to Paralyze. Which is to say, almost nothing.

I mean, I guess I "get" how people would say "This sounds like the brainchild of Josh Homme," but that's fucking lazy criticism. But Josh Homme has made a career of weaving his collaborators' (from Oliveri to Lanegan to Grohl to JPJ, etc.) preoccupations into his own personal vision, crafting a career that is both stylistically varied and wholly singular.

Also, I don't see the SftD comparisons at all. I think Grohl sort of gets shafted on this album. It's the Homme/JPJ show all the way. The songs are also not nearly as catchy/poppy as those on SftD, a pretty conscious move on Homme's part if his songwriting over the past few years is any indication.

Point of comparison. Homme/Grohl. Album. Step back. There IS a similarity.

Exactly right Anthony, the monster of SFTD is at least 40% Nick Oliveri. People consistently misunderstand the extent to which the influence of his songwriting and wildman presence on lead vocal and bass shaped that record. He wrote both the poppiest and most brutal songs on SFTD and was instrumental in giving it such a human vibe, something much less present in QOTSA since his departure. Vultures is a different type of beast.

Then you can't use SftD as a point of reference asshole.

ETA: You must be a bassist. You're calling the music out as flat and uninteresting unless there's a bassist involved. Shit commentary. I happen to agree generally. I think Weezer never recovered after Matt Sharp left, but still. Refine your point chief.