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…AND THUS ENDS MY INTEREST IN THEM CROOKED VULTURES

 Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 12:00pm by

Honestly, I was never that excited about Them Crooked Vultures, for the simple reason that supergroups are anticlimactic nine out of ten times (and the fact that Queens of the Stone Age haven’t made a record I’ve wanted to listen to more than once since Songs for the Deaf didn’t help). Still, I was open to giving the band a shot.

Then I heard their first single, “New Fang.”

When Gary Suarez described this band’s music as “seriously generic and geriatric classic rock,” he wasn’t kidding.

Now, I didn’t see the band live with Gary, and I’ve heard none of their other music. So maybe this is just a case of the band/label/management/whomever choosing a shitty first single; maybe the rest of the album will rock.

But I’m not encouraged. A first single should be a band putting their best foot forward to make a strong initial impression; what if this really is TCV’s best foot?

-AR

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Hulsey/653830783 David Hulsey

    How could you have expected this to sound ANY different? I’m seriously stumped about this. And how in the fuck can anyone justify listening to a Queens of the Stone Age album AT ALL? Maybe…MAYBE their first album one time before you realized it sounded nothing like Kyuss.

    • http://www.last.fm/user/groverXIII groverXIII

      QOTSA are awesome… they don’t have to sound anything like Kyuss to rock. ‘Songs For The Deaf’ is a fucking masterpiece.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Hulsey/653830783 David Hulsey

        That would be my inner metal snob seeping out again. I hate almost all things “rock” unless it bears a striking resemblance to “metal”.

        • http://www.last.fm/user/groverXIII groverXIII

          Ah, there’s your problem. They’re not exactly a metal band. They are, however, quite brilliant at what they do.

          • gnarlk

            i’m glad as hell they sound nothing like kyuss. one of the most overblown bands of all time…

        • Paul

          “I hate almost all things “rock” unless it bears a striking resemblance to “metal”.”

          That is why you fail. Metal snobbery is, in many ways, worse than indie snobbery.

          • Spencer

            “I’m glad as hell they sound nothing like kyuss. one of the most overblown bands of all time…”

            YOU LIE!

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Hulsey/653830783 David Hulsey

            I must admit, then, that I am an utter failure. Except at being metal, of course.

  • http://www.last.fm/user/groverXIII groverXIII

    I’ll wait til I hear a decent quality version before I really pass judgment… but I liked it.

  • trailofsmoke

    I like this song. I’m not sure what you were expecting Axl.

  • jason

    It’s not that bad…not terribly interesting either. I also agree that QOTSA hasn’t been up to snuff, save a handful of songs, since SFTD. How ’bouts a new Probot album, Dave?

    • http://www.roxwel.com Pick-Axe Bobby

      Agreed on all points.

  • Moose_knuckle

    They were the secret band at leeds festival and i totally missed them. Was pretty pissed at first and then i heard them, then i wasnt so pissed.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Brandon-Fountain/1391790047 Brandon Fountain

    How could you NOT like this song? It’s a fresh twist on a old style, and it’s being done by three of the best musicians you could ask for.

  • Chimp-0-Neg

    sounds like regular recent QOTSA = not really that interesting.

    I expected more from this.

    I’M NOT ANGRY…. just disapointed.

  • earthsherm

    what other “generic” bands does this sound like? just asking, i cant think of a song like it…doesn’t mean its good though

    • Chimp-0-Neg

      like generic QOTSA. I seriously rinsed Songs For the Deaf back when it was released, but have found every single Queens release since then to be utter yawn indusing twollocks.

      Like this tune here.

  • http://www.metalinsider.net Bram

    I agree with the “what did you expect” posts. This sounds like exactly what I’d expect it to sound like. A perfectly servicable song that comes off like a combination of all three of the main members’ more notable bands. Songs for the Deaf is a masterpiece, but it’s also a 7 year-old album. Homme and Grohl aren’t going to catch that lightning in a bottle again, and as legendary as he is, John Paul Jones isn’t as unpredictable as Nick Oliveri. Any “supergroup” is less than the sum of its parts with the possible exception of Down.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Brandon-Fountain/1391790047 Brandon Fountain

      Totally agreed, especially the Down comment..

    • Zoker

      It’s not metal but Transatlantic is an awesome supergroup that actually outclasses the sum of its parts…

  • SlickerDrip

    Anything you throw Josh Homme into turns to boredom. If I’m gonna listen to a retro rock supergroup, it’ll be the Raconteurs.

    • g

      rofl

  • cosk

    im surprised at the backlash in hate this is getting. did you seriously expect it not to sound like this?

    • http://www.myspace.com/uglydirge aaron m.

      i don’t think it’s that anyone hates it. it’s far too unmemorable to hate. the best thing that you can say about it is that it’s middling at best, and that’s probably the most offensive thing about it – that it doesn’t even try. it stays in the grey area that most radio rock music exists in, happily wallowing in its own mediocrity.

  • DICKHOLE

    i agree its lame and hes right queens havent made a good album since songs for the deaf super groups are lame!!!!!!! except for shrinebuilder my fucking god they rule!!!!!!!!

    • Chimp-0-Neg

      Shrinebuilder are the nuts.

  • SeanN

    It may be a tad bit boring, but its still heaps and mounds above the last few Eagles of Death Metal albums. Just saying.

  • gnarlk

    just sounds like clutch’s output from the last 10+ years…

  • http://infinitybasement.wordpress.com Jon Lewis

    Yeah I like this too, it’s not very heavy but… whatever. I honestly didn’t expect anything different. I’m still checking this album out regardless. Quality Rock musicians.

  • blah

    trust me, this is the lesser of all the songs

  • SlickerDrip

    Nicki Rose – lead guitar
    John Stamos – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
    Animal – drums
    Johnny Depp – bass, slide guitar
    Rod Argent – keyboards

    That’s a supergroup I’d pay money to see.

    • http://www.last.fm/user/groverXIII groverXIII

      Does Stamos still have his Uncle Jesse mullet? If so, I’m in.

      • SlickerDrip

        As far as I’m concerned, there is no John Stamos sans mullet. The hair exceeds the man. And I’m certain he feels the same way.

        • http://www.last.fm/user/groverXIII groverXIII

          Right on. That mullet deserves a special place in the mullet hall of fame alongside MacGyver’s mullet, Billy Ray Cyrus’ Achy-Breaky mullet, Devin Townsend’s skullet (R.I.P.), and Jaromir Jagr’s hockey hair.

          • jason

            +1 for Jagr-mullet reference.

          • wackomann

            Buccigross owns Melrose.

    • cougar party

      Fuck that. I am not gonna support John Stamos in anything other than Jesse and the Rippers.

      • http://www.metalsucks.net/category/scraping-genius-off-the-wheel/ Gary Suarez

        1

      • SlickerDrip

        Never gave Hot Daddy & the Monkey Puppets much of a chance?

        • cougar party

          Nah, Hot Daddy & the Monkey Puppets was a cash grab. It lacked all the artistic integrity that Jesse had with the Rippers.

          • SlickerDrip

            But how can you forgive the Rippers for jumping on the Barry Williams bandwagon? I don’t blame Jesse one bit for moving on.

  • dlux

    i dunno, i think it sounds pretty badass

  • Nigel McCloud

    I love the last two QOTSA albums, not exactly sure about all the disdain for them

    I can’t listen to the new track yet, but I will ASAP

    • scramblor

      You know, I really didn’t like either of the last 2 QOTSA albums when they first came out but they really grow on you over time. You could put their old stuff into your cd player and immediately start rocking out whereas the new stuff takes a bit more work to appreciate.

      I personally love everything Josh Homme does. He certainly isn’t going to wow anyone with his guitar chops, but his songwriting skills are awesome and how he uses little variations to vary the mood.

    • http://www.myspace.com/uglydirge aaron m.

      well, i can’t speak for everyone else out there, and i can’t really speak of ‘lullabies to paralyze’, (it never really caught my attention enough to listen to it), but i’ll give ‘era vulgaris’ this – it really had its moments. i think my problem with the album was how awkward & poorly a lot of the songs transitioned on that album. it had some really great parts in songs, but a lot of them were shoehorned in together really awkwardly, (“3′s & 7′s” was particularly bad for this. fuck that shitty song.), and it really hurt the album.

      i mean, there were still some good songs on it, like “make it witchu”, “sick, sick, sick’ & “misfit love” (also a victim of poor transitioning, sadly), but for the most part, it’s more a jumble of ideas than anything.

  • TheMarsPelicanInIsisChains

    I like it and will buy. Different strokes for different folks.

    • TheMarsPelicanInIsisChains

      Although, to be fair, this one of my absolute least favorite songs I’ve heard a decent quality version of (though quality live versions of this band are very limited). Cool song but very poor choice of first single in my opinion.

  • Chip Northcutt

    Once again, It doesn’t matter how well they play if the songs are not interesting.

  • Walrus

    ….and thus ends me taking this site even remotely serious.

  • Astral Zombie

    Why anyone gives a shit about this “supergroup” when the Shrinebuilder album just came out is beyond me…Josh Homme has been phoning it in since giving Nick the boot, why would this be any different?!?!

  • benny

    I think it’s pretty good. Grohl and Homme were meant to play together. And, uh, yeah John Paul Jones. Anyway I’m looking forward to hearing the rest.

  • attackmole

    This is good. This is what a good modern rock band should sound like.

    • ehh

      I’ll take Alice in Chains, thank you.

      • Walrus

        >alice in chains
        >modern rock band

        lol no

  • Spencer

    All comparisons to their past bands aside, this sounds decent, though it wouldn’t get the attention it has if the members weren’t so well known already.

    Speaking of supergroups, anyone heard the new album by Shrinebuilder?

    • http://www.last.fm/user/groverXIII groverXIII

      I’m listening to it right now for the first time… not bad.

  • http://www.thejamminjabber.com thejamminjabber

    I like it. Don’t know why you guys are hating.

  • SourDeez

    This isn’t bad, but I see what you mean. Homme and Grohl can do and have done much better.
    I’m gonna listen to Sky Valley now.

  • DurkaDerrr

    Shrinebuilder sucks so hard, I honestly can’t believe anybody in the world would actually want to listen to their horrible generic earshit. It’s unbelievably boring for a “supergroup.”

  • DurkaDerrr

    I would rather eat a pile of hot shit off of a rotting horse carcass than listen to another 10 seconds of any Shrinebuilder song. By comparison, Them Crooked Vultures are fucking ROCK GODS. Seriously.

  • DurkaDerrr

    Did I mention I hate Shrinebuilder?

    • Astral Zombie

      Have fun buying this watered down dogshit at your local Best Buy in Palookaville then!

      • DurkaDerr

        I will, and gladly.

  • Ryan

    It’s not groundbreaking, but I’d take it over Chickenfoot any day.

  • teaches_of_peaches

    Josh needs Nick like the rest of us need fucking oxygen. I understand Josh’s desire to make music for girls, but Nick at least brought some edge and oomph to it.
    Also Grohl’s drumming on this track sounds unimpressive, to say the least.

  • Ryan B.

    Orbs is the best supergroup out there.

    @Other Ryan: Same here haha.

  • http://Snacrifice Snacrifice

    Everybody praises Muse on here,and i like ‘em but QOTSA are way more interesting and bad ass in my opinion.

    • SlickerDrip

      Not even close.