Classic Day – Three’s Company

It’s rare for a supergroup that combines the likes of Dave Grohl from Nirvana and Foo Fighters, Josh Homme from Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age, and John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin to continue to age so gracefully like Them Crooked Vultures has.

As time progresses and the grains of sand seem to fall in the cracks, Them Crooked Vultures is a self-titled adventure over 13 tracks that glues the beauty of the desert heat with the psychedelic for a melting experience. Even though originally being released in 2009, Them Crooked Vultures has been one of the more interesting groups of the last decade that can both hit hard enough to shift the speaker’s subs, but also be concise enough to pinpoint the success of a rock sound.

The undertones begin with “No One Loves Me And Neither Do I” which introduces Grohl on the percussive assault. To the defensive rescue follows Homme on guitars and vocals while Jones is able to command on the bass. While the first moments of “No One Loves Me And Neither Do I” are actually quite subtle and inviting, by the halfway mark of the five-minute track, Them Crooked Vultures turn into a personified Maxwell “Blown Away Guy” advertisement.

The necktie and martini fly back as the guitars become turned to a lower frequency and the bass becomes more of a punch instead of a waltz. As Homme describes, “I know how to burn with passion, hold nothing back for future ration. Give all you are, do not make haste. Savor every single taste, you get got.” nearly immediately after, the instrumental nose dives into this rampage of blitzing percussive rolls and string ensembles that act like a tidal wave for the audience to be drowned under.

Almost a pleasurable death follows and tramples into the artistic endeavor that is disguised as “Elephants,” which shows a side of craftsmanship where all members receive this soapbox to stand upon and display their playing talent. “Elephants” not only has one of the more engaging instrumentals from Them Crooked Vultures, but their delivery is unbelievably clean and focused. Nothing seems to fall to waste here as every note that builds under Homme’s vocals continues to sculpt a foundation of untouchable obsidian.

With a legacy as strong as Led Zeppelin or even Queens Of The Stone Age or Foo Fighters, there is a cardinal instinct that the record will be fantastic. No matter the circumstances, Them Crooked Vultures ages like a fine wine, only that wine is as strong as Everclear and as smooth as water; a still dangerous combination to be held even a decade later.

Listen To Them Crooked Vultures Here!!! – SpotifyAmazon/iTunes