The artist: Them Crooked Vultures

The album: Them Crooked Vultures (Sony BMG, DGC/Interscope, Columbia)

The spin: A well-meant ode to goofing off with pals and heroes, Them Crooked Vultures can’t be accused of having a thought in its heavy head outside of “Let’s rock!” Since so few bands aspire to that simple notion these days (what’s up, Monsters of Folk), these guys sound downright outside the box.

It helps that they are a trio of weights so heavy they filmed an “Austin City Limits” episode months before their album was released. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin, bass, elder statesman), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, drums, alt-rock vet) and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, hard rock’s tallest, most suave man) make quite a crew. And hey, the songs are almost there.

As anyone who saw their “ACL” taping, ACL Fest show or Stubb’s gig know, these Vultures came to boogie. The tracks range from stuff that sounds a whole lot like Queens (“New Fang,” “Mind Eraser, No Chaser,” “Caligulove,” which is the most Queens-sounding song title Homme has ever come up with) to stuff that sounds an awful lot like Zeppelin (“Elephant,” “Reptiles”). “Spinning in Daffodils” is the full-on psychedelic jam, seven minutes of piano intros, Zep riffs, Grohl’s rolling, wonder-thump and general rock ‘n’ roll sprawl. There might be an organ involved in “Warsaw or the First Breath You Take After You Give Up”; not their best idea.

But hey, there’s nothing here that’s anybody’s best idea. That’s the problem with supergroups — nobody is ever going to hand over their finest notion to a project band, no matter who else in the group that person is trying to impress. Just throw the CD in the car and hit the highway.

The grade: B-

– Joe Gross

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