Review Summary: Them Crooked Vultures bring back a rock component that has been lost for a decade; lets hope they can learn to perfect the flaws.
FOOTNOTE: This is my first review ever and i'm a 14 year old boy who is really excited for his first review. Positive feedback would be nice!
BACKGROUND INFO:
I'm not going to lie, but I was excited for Chickenfoot to release there album, being a Red Hot Chili Peppers and Van Halen fan myself, but that was a letdown. This is a supergroup that is destined not to fail. I'm glad they decided to do this, because I am a fan of all of there bands. Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) and Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) have been friends forever (Dave played th drums for the Queens breakthrough album, "Songs for the Deaf".) Dave played with John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) at Wembly Stadium with the Foo Fighters After they played the Zep song they played (I don't remember) Dave said "Welcome to the greatest F***ing day of my life". This makes sense for this to happen. I know the album hasn't come out yet, but they have posted all of their songs on Youtube, so i'm going from there.
REVIEW:
01- Nobody Loves Me & Neither Do I ~ 5:11 (4.5/5)
To kick off the album, it starts out with Grohl playing a nice, simple beat whereas Josh plays a riff, then the same riff backwards. I thought that the song really didn't go anywhere in the time it had to, still good though. A few parts that were defiantly shining were the Chorus, the ending, and especially when right in the middle it stops, Josh gives a masculine "Uhh" then just belts out a heavey riff. Not a bad song at all but I would have picked a different song to start the album.
02- Mind Eraser, No Chaser ~ 4:07 (5/5)
This song was a free download on itunes for a week. This is one of the more fast-paced songs on the album and Dave really tore it up, as usual. This song sounds like a band in there 20's would make it because it is so high-energy. Dave and Josh's parts blent together particularly nicely in this one, it sounds like Dave is drumming accordingly to the guitar. An example is in the beginning, when josh strums a high note, dave hit's the bell of the ride, making a "ping" noise and it really is a nice touch. the last 15 seconds is, probably John, playing some kind of horns. I laughed the first time I heard it, because of the instancy of it all.
03- New Fang ~ 3:49 (3.75/5)
The lead single for the album. The high-strung lead guitar drives the song along, along with the solo at the very end, as short as it may be. I'm kinda suprised on this being the lead single, many other song are better. On the other hand, this song will most likely appeal to a more broad audience. It does have some great lines, like "Sometimes you break the finger on the other hand". I think it really takes us back to the 90s, the guitar sounds perfect for it.
04- Dead End Friends ~ 3:16 (4.75/5)
This track has one of the best beats on the album. With a juicy guitar riff and drums that easily compliment the bass, it rocks so hard it doesn't matter what the lyrics are. The lyrics are good, with some gems in there ("I drive all alone at night, I drive all alone, don't know what I'm heading for") but this song will most defiantly be remembered by it's beat. The solo is also great, I never knew Josh was that good at guitar, I knew he was good but he played rhythm with Queens of the Stone Age. I'm not sure if this is a single but it deserves to be one.
05- Elephants ~ 6:50 (4/5)
One of the longer songs on here, doesn't need to be this long it kinda drags and doesn't go anywhere. Starts out with a pretty cool blues riff, then Dave blasts out his drums and it all rocks on from there. I like how Dave plays during the verses, the beat makes it sound kinda jazzy and slick. Something fresh and new for Rock and Roll. It then takes on a new beat, forming a bridge, around 4:45. Not exactly helping the song, should have stuck with the kick a** beat they had going for them. It lasts about a minute and a half. They then go into a replica of the intro and really rocks it in the end. John's bass is noticeably awesome and sticks out in the song.
06- Scumbag Blues ~ 4:28 (3.5/5)
I have to be honest, I don't like the vocals on this track. Josh doing a high voice isn't his strong suit, but at least there isn't many lyrics in the song. The beat is pretty good and John does an excellent job on the bass. The guitar solos were pretty good, a little long for my taste but really skillfully played. If this were on a Queens of the Stone Age album it would be a lead single, but in this album, there are just too many other much better songs.
07- Bandoliers ~ 5:43 (4/5)
One of the more Alt. Songs on the album. The guitar riff kind of reminds me of AFI and the Foo Fighters in a way. This is also one of the softer songs. Dave does many little tom-oriented drum fills throughout the song, blending great with Josh and Johns riffs. it's a little too long, along with some of the other songs on the album. I think I hear some organ near the mid-end of the song. The thing about this song, along with some others, is that it really goes nowhere with what it has. An example would be in this song Josh re-sings the chorus for a while at the end.
08- Reptiles ~ 4:16 (5/5)
Led Zeppelin fans, this is what you've been waiting for. This has the most Zep influence on the album, probably so they don't get ripped on for having JPJ in the band and have a totally different sound that Led Zeppelin. The guitar really makes the song amazing, especially in the verses, that riff sounds so much like classic Zep it's amazing how they pull it off. The solo, which was bout 15 seconds in the middle, was eally classic, one of the best sounding solos on the album. John felt right at home on his bass it was crazy what he did on this track. This was his track where he knew exactly what he was doing, which makes it one of the best on the album.
09- Interlude With Ludes ~ 3:45 (3.75/5)
Really strange and quirky. At parts it actually sounds like the song "I'm Designer" by Queens of the Stone Age, off of there last album Era Vulgaris. If you looked at the title you would automatically think "Uh oh. This is the song where they miss the ball big time". That is half right. It would be easy to dump on this song because it is different and strange, but it all sounds strangely good and it is well organized that you have to like it. This could be docked as a "mock love song" because of some of the lyrics ("I'm gonna smother you with my love" and the bizarre female-sounding "lalalalala"'s). Overall it is a strange song, not very sure why they put this in the album but it is quirkily catchy and I found myself going back to listen to it more.
10- Warsaw Or The First Breath You Take After You Give Up ~ 7:51 (3.75/5)
bearing the longest runtime and the longest name, there is some good stuff here, the lyrics stick out in some parts ("I get high, now you got something to look up to") and the solo is one of the best on the album. The bad muffles out the good though. there is like a 3 minute break with Josh sing through an altered microphone that gets very boring to listen to. Much of the same thing here, nothing that jumps out as great except for the solo and the chorus. and it is a pretty average track.
11- Caligulove ~ 4:56 (3.5/5)
This song isn't very memorable, but it can grow on you. Josh's Vocal performance shines on this track at several points, but the lyrics sound like a pop song ("I don't need a reason, baby, put your arms around me, hold me real close"...etc). I feel a Bowie influence in this song pretty strong. John's riffs on this song are my favorite part of the track, along with the keyboard/organ solo and a specific lyric ("It's a choir singing, no screaming" (Dave and Josh then scream)). Another average track with some gems, again drenched under average components.
12- Gunman ~ 4:47 (5/5)
Real funky song. Some of the best lyrics on the album ("It don't matter, don't try to explain. You're just another dog to be trained, choke-chained") The synthesizer really draws apart from the other song with a great outcome. This vocal stylings are so fresh, I like how he slurs a lot. Everything works together so perfectly in this song.
13- Spinning In the Daffodils ~ 7:28 (4/5)
Them Crooked Vultures decided to end their album with a BANG! They did well. Great song, even with the 7 1/2 minute runtime, it doesn't fall short too much. The vocals are most likely Dave, John and Josh all singing at the same time in a mumbling style. I truly is a great closer. This is real demented, fun rock. The dark and dreary beat is very cool.
CLOSING STATEMENTS:
Overall, this album is not a disappointment. Most of the songs were good, and the ones that were lacking all lacked the same thing: interest. Hopefully the next album, if there is one (they might be going for a "Temple of the Dog" sort of thing), will have more high-energy songs like "Mind Eraser/No Chaser", and maybe even a slow song would be interesting to hear, especially with Josh's voice.
Pros
-Great Vocals
-Catchy Riffs
- Awesome Drum Work
- Amazing Bass work
- John brings many different instruments into the mix
Cons
-Some songs are longer than they can be stretched
-Some Tracks don't go anywhere
-Some Lyrics are too poppy and cheesy
