The newly-formed supergroup Them Crooked Vultures carries a unique burden of high expectations. The band is composed of Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin; his first earnest foray into music since the band’s breakup nearly 30 years ago). Each member has his own pedigree and interests, but they seem to be united by a nonchalance and aversion to pretense that bleeds into the music they have produced. Their eponymous debut sounds less like an album and more like a series of catchy, impromptu jams cobbled together in five minutes and existing as an excuse for three high-profile musicians to get together on weekends. If that sounds like a knock against the group, it certainly is not. Them Crooked Vultures is chock-full of easily digestible, simple hard rock that closely resembles recent outings by Queens Of The Stone Age at moments. The band can trace its origins to a “blind date” at a rented out Medieval Times restaurant, orchestrated by Grohl for his fortieth birthday party in January 2009. Homme and Grohl are both Led Zeppelin disciples, and the awkwardness of being set up with a childhood music idol was quickly dispelled with dry humor about jousting pageantry. This album sees Homme as principal songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist; Grohl is back on drums, apparently grateful for a break; and Jones plays keyboards and bass guitar. The album itself is fairly strong from start to finish, and although some of the band’s so-termed “battleships” – songs exceeding 6 minutes – run a little long, Homme’s brand of percussion-heavy robot rock is the aural equivalent of a politician who would be “good to have a beer with.” This album will kick you in the face unrelentingly for over an hour, and many fans wouldn’t have it any other way.

Standout tracks include “No One Loves Me And Neither Do I,” “New Fang,” “Elephants,” “Caligulove,” and “Gunman.”