he Foo Fighters have been a serious rock band since 1995, and over the years frontman Dave Grohl has emerged as one of rock’s most distinct if not innovative voices. Throughout the success of their first three albums, the Foo Fighters never took themselves too seriously. They put out catchy tunes accompanied by hilarious music videos. Dressed in drag and mimicking Mentos commercials, the band squelched any notions that they might fancy themselves the next Nirvana.
But on their latest release, One By One, Grohl leads the band into a graver, heavier realm of rock. Distortion prevails on each song, and the depth of Grohl’s voice lends the album’s sound more to metal than to the band’s grunge roots. The songs alternately take a cue from resurging garage rock and the earnest decadence of good ’70s rock.
The taunting guitar on the opening track “All My Life” frames Grohl’s crooning: “Nothing satisfies but I’m getting close/ closer to the prize at the end of the rope.” The quiet, suspenseful transitions in this song sound remarkably like the Violent Femmes’ “Add It Up.” The track continues by opening a vein of screaming noise, which is held together nicely by Grohl’s even vocals.
The fourth track, “Times Like These,” is more like classic Foo, with Grohl’s voice widening into the ballad, which has sappy lyrics but positive momentum. Its ’70s twinge might save this track from obscurity, but it certainly isn’t going to be the next “Big Me.” This isn’t entirely a bad thing. This isn’t 1995, and the Foo Fighters aren’t as happy-go-lucky as they once were. Declarations in this song like, “It’s times like these you learn to love again,” aren’t particularly creative, but lend a hopeful balance to this loudly brooding record.
The messed-up love song, “Have it All,” portrays a viscous relationship. “When I’ve had enough/ she drains me.” Again, this is more radio-friendly than other tracks on the album, but it barely seems as lighthearted as former Foo singles.
The lyrics on this album aren’t genius, but its soundscape is inviting in a wry, dark way that is still accessible to a mainstream audience. Who cares if the Foo Fighters can’t muster too many descriptive words? When Grohl wails, “Halo/ God only knows/ right behind me everywhere I go,” on “Halo,” it’s easy to imagine him being followed by his tragically angelic past into this darker, maybe more interesting future.
