by Tom Bedding
For the first third of the Foo Fighter's journey, there were some amazing albums to behold but by the late 2000’s, it was mainly singles that started to become the centrepiece. Then out of nowhere, we were surprised with a return to form that was called, Wasting Lights’. It truly gave the Foo’s a second wave of appreciation, reinforcing that they are one of the best of their generation.
Sadly despite the amazing tours and headlining the big festivals constantly, the music itself post ‘Waisting Lights’ felt too bland. It seemed like, despite wanting to do things differently, it was simply a marketing tool instead of fundamentally doing something different. So when it was announced that the bands 10th studio album would be a ‘Bowie inspired and a dance rock record’, so many of us simply did not believe it would truly match such a description.
Surprisingly, ‘Medicine At Midnight’, fits the sales pitch better than we all expected. I have to say, we actually have an interesting Foo Fighters record on our hands that makes you wonder…Mark Ronson should have produced this thing and not the most recent Queens of The Stone Age album, thank you for listening to my Ted Talk. It won’t leave everyone in the family rocking and jiving but there are plenty of moments to enjoy, on the latest release by arena rocks favourite modern rock band.
The opening song to this ‘groovy’ rock record is a true delight, it feels like Dave Grohl and co are feeling refreshed! On ‘Making a Fire’, the tones of the guitar and groove (yes it is apparent here) feels very Aerosmith, while the melody is also catchy and packs one hell of a punch; it honestly brings a smile to your face with its passion and sense of new life. The backing singers play a big part also with the infectious clapping and the ‘na nah naaahs’ welcome you to this affair like a colourful beam of light.
The lead single for the bands 10th record, ‘Shame Shame’, is a classic first offering that did set the mood and backed up Dave’s claim of a big shift for the band. It is very restricted throughout and that is one of the songs strengths, it has a cool dance beat but is making you wait longingly for the release of the songs tension.
It really feels like Grohl has been inspired by the bands drummer, Taylor Hawkins, solo work with the wacky touches to make it seem interesting. As ‘Shame Shame’ progresses, it still makes you want to dramatically dance and builds up to just a minor inclusion of guitars.
The riff on ‘Cloudspotter’ is apparently 25 years old which is surprising to hear, it sounds like one fun riff to play and is extremely bad arse! The verses in the song have such an awesome groove to it, your smile returns with how fun it is.
Again the backing vocals are a great touch, while the percussion that features the work of the Nile Rodger’s drummer, Omar Hakim, offer’s that needed texture to ensure the track and others on the LP, are deemed quirky enough to match the bands intentions. Despite the catchy hook of ‘swing, swing, guillotine queen’ in the chorus, the hair-rocking element of it does not come across well and leads to it being all a tad underwhelming.
If you were told the band were releasing a stripped back single, you could easily end up describing ‘Waiting On A War’ and for some, that puts them off the group and this song. Yet after a few listens, you end up loosing yourself in the overall tone and sense of wonder, that Dave can deliver in his melody writing. The strings and overall production work are beautiful, it allows this song to feel so magical and to the point where you can imagine a lot of Foo Fighters fans, wanting to get the songs name tattooed on them.
Inspired by the fear of the tensions rising in Washington D.C. and a conversation he had with his daughter, the song was penned down to be a letter to anyone who fears potential war in their own backyard. The song epically comes together in the most Foo’s way possible, with the band going full throttle and Dave repeating the main line of the song again and again and again and faster and faster and faster, by this point you don’t care if its corny as it just feels epic and wondrous.
I think will be a grower for a lot of people the title track, the song does nod to David Bowie and is done pretty well! You have to say, with the vocal melody, backing vocals and the guitar solo, it makes you think the group will do the song’s music video at the same place Bowie did ‘Let’s Dance’ (how fun would that be?). The track is similar with the albums lead single, with having a sense of restraint to it but it makes the track feel even cooler, which is something that Foo Fighters aren’t called as much these days.
An ode to Lenny is found on ‘No Son Of Mine’, which is done okay but does feel a tad too cheesy, not too surprising obviously due to the band. The chorus is possibly too similar to a previous single, ‘The Feast and the Famine’ and that is not a compliment one bit.
It feels like a waisted opportunity with Foo’s wanting to do a Motorhead kind of song, you truly wish something better came from it. Though I do admit they nail it with the guitars, there’s a great feeling of urgency and fun with them, that leads them to being a highlight on the entire LP.
‘Medicine at Midnight’ is very short, which probably is for the best as I can not imagine the band being to stretch this out past 37 minutes that it is. One of the issues with the album that makes me think that is how the whole album feels like that there are some songs that were written before the realisation of, “hey we got this groovy thing going on!!!”.
Some have a sense of authenticity to them and others feel overcooked to make them sound wacky and different. Though ‘Chasing Birds’ fits in the authentic side, this number is a Lennon meets Flaming Lips cut, overall being a tranquil and slight trippy experience.
To conclude the album we have ‘Love Dies Young’……and is it me but does it sound like what we wanted Coldplay to become? That riff could have been theirs if they took a path, that some expected after their debut record?
Anywhooooo, the closer is indeed really good! It is a fantastic way to finish the album as it is filled with such optimism with great drumming and guitars. Dave’s lyrics do not offer anything interesting but his delivery and melody allows this song to be sent flying into the heavens, finishing the album on a great note.
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