Foo Fighters were the brainchild of Dave Grohl, who had been a drummer in a band that stopped making new material quite suddenly. The songs were just an assortment that had been written over the previous few years, and he claims it was never meant to be an album. This album was entirely created by Grohl, with the drummer showing off his skills as a multi-instrumentalist, taking the name given to alleged alien aircraft from WWII to allow for his anonymity. Having then signed with Capitol records, he recruited a band to perform the songs live, and the album sold beyond his expectations, going platinum in the US and Canada, and Gold in the UK.
This is a Call is a simple manifesto of a song, which indicates what the band are about, namely loud, distorted guitars, meaningless lyrics and anthemic choruses. It's not clever, but it is quite big in terms of its sound, and obvious confidence. I'll Stick Around Adds a small element of subtlety, but overall it flows in similar fashion, with big, gritty guitar riffs, driving percussion, and a shout-along chorus. Big Me is a slower number, with an acoustic yet multi-layered feel. It shows off Grohl's voice in a more sympathetic manner, and I can see why people like it, although it's a bit shallow to my ears. Alone + Easy Target is a song I still haven't quite got my head round, despite its simplicity. There are swirling guitars, a slightly identikit chorus, and disconcerting use of symbols in the title - it's probably apparent what threw me off. Good Grief is the best music on the album, with a riff and drum combo that tears out of the speakers from the outset. The urgency contrasts nicely with Grohl's more laid back delivery, until the chorus bites in above waves of crunchy fretboard pounding. Floaty is something of a template for later Foos songs in terms of the variation of pace and volume. Weenie Beenie is a bit of a nothing song, and Oh George doesn't add much either. For All the Cows is pretty bizarre lyrically, even in the context of the rest of the album. X-Static has some great waves of feedback and layers of guitar, with one of the stronger riffs on the album. Wattershed nicely captures some of Grohl's love of punk, but Exhausted is slightly forgettable.
Overall it's a good, enjoyable rock album with a bit of variety in there that demonstrates what Grohl could go on and do. I hadn't realised that the album was created single-handedly, and that makes the whole thing more impressive. Whilst their best work was to come later, this was a good indication of what the band were about. Whilst there is a bit of filler on the album, the strength of some of the songs allow you to forgive it the blips.
Chloe's album rating: 6
Chloe's favourite track: 1. This is a Call
Olly's album rating: 6
Olly's favourite track: 4. Good Grief
Next week we have a very early album 27. Miriam Makeba - Miriam Makeba, from 1960.
No comments:
Post a Comment