This is the band's 11th album. Sure Taylor Hawkins is dead, but truth be told the last album I paid attention to by these guys was 97's "the Color and the Shape". While they are one of the world's biggest bands, and very radio dominate, there music largely strikes me as being bland. I figured I would give this album a shot and at least try to make a definitive analysis about what I do not like about this band. Grohl played all the drums in the studio, this give his trade mark post- Nirvana rock n roll bombast. There songs are normally to bring and happy, which are qualities that are held in the first two songs, along with choruses that try to hard to be anthemic. Before we go any further let me emphasis that any connection sonically to what Nirvana did, has been buried long before Hawkins.
Things improve with the slower moodier groove of "Hearing Voices". Lyrically you can hear how Taylor Hawkins death is the underlying theme of the songs. The bass line might be the best part of the song. The title track is pretty upbeat with it's staccato bounce. It feels more like they are punching the old song writing clock and doing what the Foo Fighters are expected to do since they are part of a larger money making machine. There is a slight Rush feel to the timing, but none of the interesting arrangements every thing works off the mainstream radio format. "the Glass" is the most bland moment so far . When comparing them to the state of the music industry as a whole, you have to applaud the fact there are no outside songwriters and only one producer.
"Nothing at All" sounds like if Elvis Costello was trying to make grunge. Grohl's daughter joins him on the poppy simmer of the introspective "Show Me How". If he guested on a Phoebe Bridgers song the result would be similar. Grohl has used the same soft ballad voice since the first album, which he defaults to on another bland ballad called "Beyond Me". By the time I get to 'the Teacher' it seems that Grohl has continued to coast on recycling song ideas for the past twenty years and this album is a continuation of that. Granted at ten minutes the song offers more indulgence in the stock tropes he typically employs and repackages them into one song that has me bored by seven minute mark.
Working man power ballads for Gen X could be the most apt description of what continues to happen on the closing song. I will give this album a 7, as it encompasses what vanilla would sound like if it was a rock band. Sure Grohls he is a season professional who accomplishes what he sets out to do. To celebrate his reflections on his former drummer, it lacks any emotional depth, even when the final build of the last song comes, it sounds like it was something done in the studio rather than from the heart. It might fool fans of this band, who are into bland middle of the road rock any way, and if your tastes in music run in that direction then I guess this album has the decency to give you that gracefully. Most people defend liking Foo Fighters, by arguing that Grohl is a "good" or "cool" dude, if this is what sounding like a 'good' is then I will stick to listening to all the depraved scumbags you are trying to cancel, they make way better music.
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