Foo-Fighters : "But Here We Are"

 

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.  

The Top 200 Greatest Rock Singers-90-81

Now  past the half way point of our  list of the top 200 greatest rock singers, inspired by the travesty that was Rolling Stone's supposed list. Where they got it wrong, this list hopes to be more effective,  not only focusing on rock singers and those adjacent to the genre. If you have been reading you know the focus is not only on  technical vocal ability, in terms of range and power, as well as their dynamics, phrasing and the overall character of their voice. Can they emote from different places? How well does their voice hold up live? . How they control a crowd or their entertainment value as performers is also not a factor; there are some great front men who are also sub-par singers. There are also not going to be any Bob Dylan like singers, who are better songwriters than vocalists.

. Most pop singers won't appear here, but there are a few country or jazz singers who crossover just enough to qualify for this list, while having a significant influence on rock music. Don't expect rappers on this list or metal vocalists who just scream or growl, but never actually sing. I am keen on singers who are derivative of other singers. The bulk of these do their own thing, the few paying tribute to other artists made enough of an impact with their music. Having a unique vocal quality is going to be one of the most important factors often trumping technical ability. If they sound too much like Steve Perry from Journey after listening to their vocal coach rather than developing their own style, it is also not going to fly. Some of these might have been ignored by mainstream music media, but by the time we get to the top 10, I am sure it will all make sense, so here are the Top 200 greatest rock singers.

 90- David Byrne

The nervous vibrato in his voice sells the cheerful façade in his lyrics. His delivery is always smooth and he can reach into his upper register with frantic glee. Sure there have been singers lower on the list who can belt with more power, but none are as distinct as Byrne.

   

89-Klaus Meine 

The more familiar radio anthems of the Scorpions may not convince you that he should place this high, but the deeper tracks is where he really shines and emotes. Perhaps this does not place him as equals to singers of other metal bands of the time, but he is better than most

.  

88- Matt Barlow

The gruff aggressive chest register to his high Paul Stanley like wailing make him the best man on the microphone for Iced Earth. They have had singers whose screams are higher and growls harsher, but it the balance of Barlow that makes him the best man for that job.

 

87-Geddy Lee

Despite his voice being an acquired taste there is not denying the power he can belt his shrill tenor with. Rush fans will tell you there is more nuance and depth to his voice than a casual listener might perceive from their radio hits , which are not a fair indicator of what he is capable of.

 86--George Harrison 

All but one Beatle is a great singer, their voices worked better as a unit. However when it is time to take the spotlight there is thoughtful tenderly reflective quality to George's voice. 

 

 85- Greg Puciato

His solo work and side projects have allowed him to really open his voice up and make the most of it rather than beat his pipes from the fury of the screaming he once did. He has clearly taken notes from the best singers of the 90s.

 

84--Kurt Cobain

Kurt had to die because he knew he could not pretend and play the game of the music industry. Sadly it got written off by his drug use and no one took his warning to heart. His raw voice was real. He was not pretending to have angst he was releasing it through this song. Typically terrible live, but he captured what could have been in the studio. 

               

83- Dave Gahan

There is something about the fluid baritone that makes the listener feel Depeche Mode's front man was struggling with the concepts of God , drugs and sexual identity. This in turn made listeners confront there own such struggles, there is power to a voice that can do that.

 

 82-Josh Homme

For someone who fronts a hard rock band his voice is very smoothly. He always sounds matter of fact like the drugs just kicked in. He conveys melancholy without whining. 

81 Orville Peck

If all there was to his gimmick was just being a gay country singer who wears a mask, he would not be on this list. However he has a great resonate baritone, a quite the range when he decides to use it including blending his head register smoothly. 

3rd Secret : "s/t"

 Combining members of Soundgarden and Nirvana, and technically Pearl Jam as well considering Matt Cameron is also in Pearl Jam. It opens sounding more like the Sundays. The familiar sounds of grunge do not occur until the second song " I Choose Me". Energy wise I think the Pretty Reckless carried the torch better with last year's album. They smooth groove and smoother melodies is doing something different while being familiar and it's still pretty effective.  "Last Day of August" is well played guitar wise, but the overall vibe of the song sounds like a folk version of Hole.  "Winter Solstice" continues even further in a hippy direction with more of a folk feel than anything rock. 

"Lies Fade Away" finds a return to distorted guitar and more driven drumming. There is more of tension than heaviness.  Soundgarden's later work is what this comes closest to. There is none of the raw punk feel of Nirvana.  The 60s swagger of  " Live Without You" works well, but if these were some pot smoking witches from Sweden then it would add up more easily.  The same can not be said from the pola induced chaos of "Right Stuff' which seems unsure of which way it wants to go.  "Dead Sea" finds it back to the more Arizona hippy take on what Hole did. The melancholy melody is fine, but not the albums best or worst song.  They remember they were in rock bands again on "Diamond in the Cold" . I like the almost middle eastern drone that possesses the song going into it. 

"Somewhere in Time" is a more slinky rock song that has more in common with Alice in Chains than their other bands.  The riff reminds me a little on  Lynyrd Skynyrd's "On the Hunt". "the Yellow Dress' is back to a darker form of folk music, At this seven minute song builds it does so like a storm over the desert , ya know kinda of like the Doors.  It wanders around for half the song. This is not what I expected and perhaps that fact needs to grow on me, I will give this album an 8.5, do not go into this expecting for any of these guys to be picking up where they left off. 

Doused in Mud, Soaked in Bleach : A Tribute to Nirvana

It's Record Store Day, since I haven't bought a physical album in 5 years, I'll at least review one that the few thousand of so of you who do might be thinking about purchasing. This is third and final Nirvana tribute from Robotic Empire takes on the debut album "Bleach" which was Nirvana's heaviest and darkest. Thou takes a blackened stab at "Floyd the Barber" which was the first Nirvana song I ever heard. The vocals are really the only change here as it's hard to make this one any heavier than it already was. Grind-coring it out would have not been a wise choice as it would have ruined the song's initial intentions. Philly rockers Beach Slang, do "About a Girl" justice, but it sounds like the Foo-Fighters covering it do to the singer's vocal range/inflections.

Boston's Basement rocks out a convincing version of  "School", one thing about album's like these I like is it gives you the chance to check out some bands that you might not have heard otherwise. One of the more mainstream band's on here is Circa Survive who cover "Love Buzz" . My band in high school also covered this song so it has a soft spot in my black heart. I think at 16 I prolly sang it in a similar tenor. Musically they ape this one almost too close for me to hear them as a band, though their emo Yes thing is toned down here and haven't listened to this band in about a decade. This Will Destroy You are not really an underground band any more, though the are closer to being than than post- My Space Circa Survive. They wised up an didn't try to make this just an instrumental or get too post- rock with it. The vocal sound like they weren't mic'ed but picked up on one of the drum mics as they recorded it. They come too close to being too hip for their own good here, but it all manages to work out at the end of the seven minutes.

Young Widows , who I have confused with True Widow more than once throw their instruments into "Negative Creep" and come across like Sonic Youth making some kind of drunken joke. The fun and games doesn't end their as Mean Jeans goes a smirking rendition of "Scoff". I suppose the irony in them scoffing at the song should not be lost.  Rob Crow from Pinback of course kills "Swap Meet".  Last year Crow said that he was quitting music so I guess not and can begin this is the gateway drug to another Pinback record. One band I'll gladly sacrifice in order to retain Rob Crow is Fall of Troy who covers "Mr Moustache". They have the right energy for this, but don't really bring much personality to the table. Speaking of energy there is a deficit of that in Big Hush's take on "Sifting" . Daughters come back and redeem this album with their on point version of "Big Cheese", which hits the right balance between being true to themselves and capturing the song. The Saddest Landscapes is more of themselves and less like Nirvana on "Downer'. Overall this album hits more than it misses, though some of these flubs I wouldn't want to listen to more than once, But I'll give this an 8.5 .


10.8
 

The Top 100 albums of the 90s :20 to 11

Here we are in the top twenty , so let the butt hurt begin as you start to see what you thought to be the best album of your drunken high school days is not on the list, because there are better albums, sure these might not have out sold Pearl Jam, but they have stood the test of time much better.

  20- Sade - "Love Deluxe"

 Half of you might have been conceived to this album. There were many trip hop albums that could have made the list, but Sade does what they do better, yes that includes Tricky and Massive Attack, who put out some good songs, but we are talking entire albums front to back and even "Mezzanine" has a little filler on it.

 



  19- Cranberries- "Everybody Else Is Doing It So Why Can't We?" 

This album carried more longing and passion than every thing they released after. The Cocteau Twins influence was very strong, but the vocals were layered in a different manner that makes this album.

 

  18- Sunny Day Real Estate - "Diary" 

If you were to own only one so called "emo" album, this would be the one. The band was disrupted in their prime by this guy named Dave Grohl who stole them for his cock rock band. Jeremy always claimed they started off as a hardcore band who was trying to play slow songs and on this album you can hear that more than the others.

 


  17-Tori Amos- "Little Earthquakes"

 Three years ago I ruined Tori Amos for my fiance when I played her Kate Bush and we have never been able to listen to her in the car since. While this is her "Lion Heart" it carries much more anger than Kate Bush ever taps into with the exception of the last song on "the Dreaming". Front to back their are no filler songs anywhere to be found and Tori can tinkle the keys better than Kate.

 

  16- Nirvana - "In Utero"

if you don't understand why this beat out "Nevermind" I'm not sure why you are reading my blog, but the short blurb version is that "Nevermind" is restrained and slick, where this album is a drugged out rock star in full train wreck mode. I need my rock stars dead on drugs.

 

  15- Jeff Buckley - "Grace"

For the rest of this list I will answer the nagging question of "But how did that beat out Nirvana?" . Have you ever heard Jeff Buckley sing? He could improvise singing from the phone book and it would beat Nirvana.He killed himself with much more style as well.

 


14-Alice in Chains - "Dirt"

An ode to drugs and misery. This rocks, "Rooster" is the only song I do not like on this album but "Would" balances that out. Reason it beat Nirvana? Jerry's guitar playing and Layne is a better junkie, Cobain also smoked crack while Layne just shot hard and he died from an overdose , not his wife murdering him. Yes trolls I know I just implied Cobain killed himself in the blurb above, and he did by staying with Love.


 


13-Acid Bath - "Paegan Terrorism Tactics" 

Yes they made it on here twice. Dax Riggs' first alright trumps Nirvana's discography. He might be alive or is he for he claims " dying felt so god damn good today" They are from New Orleans so my theory is he did before this album was made then brought back to life with voo-doo by children playing in the catacombs. Drugs... I scream ,you scream, every body screams for morphine.' He even admits to being a zombie.

 

  12-Fugazi - " Steady Diet of Nothing"

Dave Grohl would tell you they could not hold a candle to Fugazi, in fact he did while making a tv show about his terrible album. Ian Mckaye means no drugs. But this album has groove and punk anger coiled together and ready to burst at any moment, glued together with chops worthy of the Police.


  11- Nine Inch Nails - " the Downwards Spiral" I am not sure how this album's dominance over Nirvana could be in question. They even did it and got massive radio air play. This album did for industrial what Van Halen's 1984 did for cock rock. Reznor made it out alive, but this album has tons of self loathing. 11- Sade

Various Artists : "Whatever Nevermind"

I like Nirvana. I don't put them on the same throne most do. I would throw away any magazine that use to have Kurt Cobain in their top whatever guitarists. He is nothing special in that department, a decent singer when he wanted to be which not consistent and a better song writer than actual musician. So don't hold "Nevermind" in some hallowed hall when it comes to a bunch of normally pretty cool bands covering it.

Young Widows starts off the album with the weight of the album's biggest song on their shoulder's and make it sound like they are covering Sonic Youth, a band judging by the cover they would have been more suited to handle. Torche would have been more capable with "Teen Spirit" since they hit a home run with their version of "In Bloom" . This should come as no surprise because some of their original material reminds me of the Foo-fighters. In fairness this song should have been given to Young Widows instead. Kylesa tackles "Come as You Are" Laura's vocal work really well. "Breed " is handled by post- hardcore vets Cave-in who do what they do well on this one.

Boris gets weird on "Lithium" before dooming it out. The doom parts work well, but the weirdness sacrifices the integrity of the verses. I was unsure about La Dispute getting one of the albums more melodic songs, but they handle it much better than expected. It was my first time hearing White Reaper who ripped into "Territorial Pissings" with over driven garage punk anger that was needed for the song. Surprisingly Circa Survive grew some balls and was able to not sound like gay Rush when they went after "Drain You".  Touche Amore shows that emo owes something to Nirvana. They also do a damn good job on "Lounge Act".

Another first for me was Wrong who proves themselves to me with their handling of  "Stay Away". They have a very Helmet vibe about them and their bass tone is awesome. It was also my first go around with Pygmy Lush who put their somewhat Brand New-ish sound to "On a Plain". I don't dislike these guys , but this could use some more balls, if Brand New had covered it the song would have had more balls. I know for a fact Nothing has some Nirvana influence so  this was the song I was looking forward to the most.It makes sense Thou would handle the heavier songs "Even in His Youth" and "Endless Nameless" , the first one is better than the second , but I think that is the same with the source material .  Overall it hits more than it misses. I 'll give it a 7.5