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Album Review
by Ulixes S. Toker
22-10-2002
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| Foo Fighters: 'One By One' at the time |
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Foo Fighters: 'One By One'
(Roswell/BMG)
Foo Fighters on the fourth barricade
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s ‘Whatever Happened To My Rock’n’Roll?’ is a sentiment Dave Grohl experienced about a year ago. He and the Foo Fighters bandmates – drummer Taylor Hawkins, bassist Nate Mandell and guitarist Chris Shiflett – lost their inspiration, drive and direction during first attempt to record this, the fourth platter, ‘One By One’. Thus, Grohl decided to join Queens of The Stone Age for a spot of battery-recharging return-to-drums that sparked all the rumours of the Foos’ end.
Grohl went on to record all-but-one track on the QotSA’s ‘Songs For The Deaf’ and even before it was released he toured with Homme and Oliveri’s band. (After the gig – where Grohl was more masterful than memory logs – we pondered what it feels like being a drummer in a band fronted by him?). Come to think of it, QotSA’s album is rhythmically more solid than the Foo’s but ‘One By One’ has a greater scope than the Grohl’s temporary outfit.
The band’s situation had a couple of other obstacles to navigate: Grohl’s (and Krist Novoselic) dispute/legal case to prevent Courtney Love’s (mis)handling of Nirvana’s legacy and release schedules [all resolved recently and the best of ‘Nirvana’ will be out a week today] and Hawkins’ dalliance with substances that disagreed with his body chemistry. Chart-dom looked like turning into -doom.
‘One By One’ is without doubt one of the best rock albums of the year, heavy but never metal, mellow but never emo-pathetic, strong and with a darker streak. These tracks are less poppy, less chart- minded – despite ‘All My Life’ probably being the best metal-pop single since Motorhead’s ‘Ace Of Spades’ as its 5th place confirmed the week before – deeper and evolving from the previous three long-players. Whether it is the best album of the band’s career, as the band and their fans claim, or not so (as a number of critics think), is beside the point because such a judgement can only be made when the end is nigh.
‘Low’ is a huge rock-slice that gallops as its mix sprays from speaker-to-speaker, succeeded with equally ferocious ‘Have It All’, while ‘Disenchanted Lullaby’ is a dreamy and touch psychedelic before turning into a shout-a-rama! And then the delicate, beautiful ballad, a sure-fire bird-puller ‘Tired Of You’ with its poignant rhyme: ‘Cursed by love so dire/one more boy for hire’, before placing ‘Shame on me for the blues’. (So, don’t sue the transgressor, Troy’s forever been under siege.)
Subject-wise, this album is a ‘concept’ inasmuch as it peels off layers of a new relationship, examining failed loves quest, well – being totally cardio-cathartic. This amalgamation of persons and experiences are generalised but, you have to wonder how many are aimed at the widow Cobain; the line from ‘Tired of You’ could well be very much about Kurt’s ex-‘kitchen knife’… Grohl gets self-analytical and lines like ‘You and I get on with life/and pray we’ll find a better one’ (‘Overdrive’) are frequent but ‘’Dead on the inside/I’ve got nothing to prove’ refers to his love life rather than creativity.
Most of the songs are beyond good (and evil) but not are indeed ‘killers’: ‘Halo’ is a bit too ordinary, a tad too mid-paced for its own good; ‘Times Like These’ is a tad better but still sounding like a song in a rush, too spontaneous, too instinctive, somewhat rushed. Instinct is dead important in Rock but it has to be checked out by intellect, counter-balanced, tripping up its raw, untamed nature. Quality service is soon restored with ‘Overdrive’ that is very aptly named, with ‘Burn Away’ bringing a very catchy chorus over crashing backing while ‘Comeback’ closes the album with a touch of prog-ness that tips the scales to Taylor’s side as he’s the one who likes it thatta-way. It is a huge song that will demolish arenas when the band gets back to full-scale touring in November.
‘One By One’ brings Foo Fighters nearer to the Hall of Fame whereas Nirvana’s place is as a cert as the building’s foundation. The Fighters have learnt largin’ it full whack.
It’s a niner, baby! (9/10)
*
Tour dates:
16 November – Evening News Arena, Manchester
17 November – Telewest Arena, Newcastle
19 November – NEC, Birmingham
20 November – CIA, Cardiff
22 & 23 November – Wembley Arena, London
25 November – SECC, Glasgow
Ulixes S. Toker
22-10-2002
Foo Fighters album ‘One By One’ is released 21 October 2002 on Roswell/BMG
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