Tag: Them Crooked Vultures

Throwback: Happy 78th Birthday, John Paul Jones!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Led Zeppelin’s and Them Crooked Vultures’ John Paul Jones’ 78th birthday.

Gold Coast, Australia-based alt rock trio boWsER — Nathan Williams, Otto Miller, Jr. and Brad Weynton – formed well over a decade ago, and when its members met, they recognized an instant connection and a desire to make music that pushed each individual member in new creative directions while crafting an enormous, power chord-driven sound that drew comparisons to Queens of the Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures.

The trio quickly attained enviable and immediate success: After signing a worldwide publishing deal with EMI, they released their critically applauded debut mini album, 2007’s Modus Operandi, an effort that earned them The Courier-Mail People’s Choice Award nomination in the Rock category and a Q Song Awards nomination. Adding to a rapidly growing profile in their native Australia, boWsER were hand-selected by Triple J Unearthed to open for Eagles of Death Metal during their Australian tour.

The Aussie rock act ended a 13 year hiatus with the release of “People in the TV,” the first single off their forthcoming Steve James-produced sophomore effort Whispers From The Wickerman. The album’s second single “Supersonic” features a classic grunge rock song structure of alternating quiet verses and loud choruses, fuzz pedaled and churning power chord-driven riffs, a sinuous bass line, thunderous drumming and massive, arena rock friendly hooks that — to my ears, at least — reminds me of Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs for the Deaf and Foo FightersOne by One and Wasting Light, delivered with a similar swagger.

New Video: The Creepy, Grindhouse-Inspired Visuals for ExSage’s Anthemic “Tripwire”

Interestingly, the duo’s soon-to-be released EP Out of the Blue was produced by Alain Johannes, who has collaborated with Mark Lanegan, Them Crooked Vultures, Brody Dalle, and Queens of the Stone Age, and as you’ll hear on Out of the Blue’s first single “Tripwire,” the band sonically speaking sounds as though they were indebted to The Raveonettes and The Kills. In other words, enormous blazing power chords are paired with thunderous and propulsive drumming and harmonized vocals led by Clover’s pop star-like vocals, and a rousingly anthemic hook — all of which gives the song a larger than life swagger just underneath the song’s bluesy psychedelia.

The recently released video for the song is indebted to creepy, Grindhouse movies and includes a deranged doctor performing surgery without anesthesia, and his bandaged victims walking around like mummies before being driven around in the duo’s sweet Dodge Charger.