New Music Thursday



Billboard at the Hammersmith Apollo
on December 18, 2009.



I decided to try out an idea where every Thursday I will feature a new artist that people may or may not have heard much about.  This may include national, regional, or local acts. For my first installment of this I chose the band Them Crooked Vultures.

Formed in 2009, the band consists of three very accomplished musicians. Drummer Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), bassist John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), and guitarist/vocalist Josh Homme (Oueens of the Stone Age).

The band is a very interesting mix. According to their official website, the band:

"sounds like the guy from Queens of the Stone Age singing and playing guitar with the bass player from Led Zeppelin and the drummer from Nirvana."

This is very much true. The music is very much hard rock with a tinge of an indie feel to it. The band's self titled debut album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 when it was released in late 2009. The more I listen to the music it definitely becomes more intriguing. Even if you are not a fan of hard rock one can definitely appreciate the musicality on this record.

Songs like "No One Loves Me and Neither Do I", "Elephants", "Scumbag Blues" are very much a treat to listen to and just the tip of the iceberg. I honestly feel like I'm listening to an evolved version of Led Zeppelin if they were around today. Not that I mean this lineup is better than Zeppelin, no lineup can ever really duplicate that band's style, delivery, and songwriting. However Them Crooked Vultures does a very good job taking elements from that hard rock sound that Zeppelin made famous and make it their own. I mean when you have an ex-Zeppelin in your band its bound to happen right?

So anyway if you are looking for something new to listen to while you are sitting around doing nothing, look up Them Crooked Vultures and take a listen. You could definitely do a lot worse with some of the garbage that is out there today.

Until next time keep on rocking away music lovers,
JAS

Photo courtesy of p_a_h, Flickr