Music Spotlight

While many bands consist of young stars with fresh voices, one band breaks the mold by combining raw talent with experiened musicianship.

Them Crooked Vultures consists of guitarist and vocalist Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age, drummer Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and bassist John Paul Jones from the legendary Led Zeppelin.

The album is surprising, considering the direction it could have taken: A slow moving appreciation of Zeppelin-inspired psychedelic progressive rock.

Their self-titled debut album plays more like a jam session than an actual record. 

The record is extremely fast-paced, consistently loaded with heavy guitar riffs, hard-hitting drums and deep bass tones.

In the opening track, “No One Loves Me & Neither Do I,” vocalist Josh Homme exclaims, “You can’t always do it right, you can always do what’s left,” as drummer Dave Grohl commands a drum solo with surgical precision.

During “Mind Eraser, No Chaser,” Homme and Grohl share the mic, singing over a memorable bass line played by John Paul Jones. Jones is on fire, playing like he’s been locked in a cage since the Zeppelin breakup.

My only gripe about Them Crooked Vultures is the occasional lack of vocal diversity. Homme is a remarkable vocalist, but he doesn’t experiment outside his Queens of the Stone Age style.

Before recruiting Jones on bass, Paul McCartney expressed interest in joining Them Crooked Vultures.

Time will tell what other artists will join the group. It’s refreshing to see a band not concerned with age or trends, just raw talent.