"February Stars" derived from a Nirvana recording session with bassist Krist Novoselic in early 1994, while producer Gil Norton had also worked with the Pixies - Cobain's biggest inspiration. ġ997 follow-up The Colour and the Shape also had ties to Grohl's previous day job. Interestingly, it lost Best Alternative Music Album to Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York. And despite a deliberate lack of promotion, melodic singles such as "This Is A Call " and "Big Me" - the latter penned in honor of Grohl's then-wife Jennifer Youngblood - steered the record to nearly 1.5 million domestic sales and the first of many GRAMMY nominations. However, Foo Fighters ' sound wasn't too much of a departure from the quiet/loud grunge-rock that had catapulted Nirvana to blockbuster success. And the majority of this third consecutive collaboration with Greg Kurstin, the super producer best-known for his work with pop powerhouses Adele and Sia, shares a similar full-blooded energy. Perhaps not in the right headspace to hire a permanent replacement, Grohl returned to his former day job by taking to the drum kit for all ten tracks. Fans hoping for insights into Grohl’s state of mind may have been left disappointed: Feeling pressured to address Cobain's demise, he opted for a stream-of-consciousness lyrical approach that resulted in gibberish.įirst taster "Rescued" harks back to the '00s triple whammy of lead singles ("All My Life," "Best of You," "The Pretender") by combining stadium-sized hooks with speaker-blowing guitar riffs and dynamic rhythms. Grohl quickly assembled a line-up that included drummer William Goldsmith and bassist Nate Mendel of the defunct Sunny Day Real Estate and Nirvana's brief touring second guitarist Pat Smear to help perform the self-titled debut he issued on his own Roswell Records label. ![]() Knocked out in just five days, the 15 tracks that emerged were distributed on cassette to friends, with the overwhelmingly positive feedback inspiring Grohl to pursue the Foo Fighters ("the stupidest f-ing band name in the world," he'd later concede ) concept further. The " nicest guy in rock " had initially considered joining Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers before heading into the studio to test out his singer/songwriter skills. Grohl only made that rare leap from drummer to frontman in the wake of Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain's 1994 suicide. Of course, the Foos were born out of a similar tragedy. ![]() But while the album's words are often steeped in melancholy, its sound is lean and loud.įirst taster"Rescued" harks back to the '00s triple whammy of lead singles ("All My Life," "Best of You," "The Pretender") by combining stadium-sized hooks with speaker-blowing guitar riffs and dynamic rhythms. "It came in a flash/It came out of nowhere/It happened so fast/And then it was over," an anguished Grohl sings on opener "Rescued," one of many attempts to make sense of the sudden nature of his bandmate's death. Following hugely affecting tribute concerts on both sides of the Atlantic, Grohl et al concluded, much to fans’ relief, that the show must go on.Įxpectedly, the devastation of losing a bandmate permeates their first studio effort since it takes just 12 seconds to position But Here We Are as something of a musical eulogy. The drummer had been the backbone of the constantly changing group for quarter of a century, and so his death at the age of just 50 inevitably threw their future into question. Yet, as with everything Dave Grohl has touched over the past 35 years, this statement is grounded firmly in authenticity.īut Here We Are is the Foos' 11th studio effort and first record since the untimely passing of Taylor Hawkins, just hours before they were due on stage at Colombia's Estéreo Picnic Festival in March 2022. ![]() "10 songs that run the emotional gamut from rage and sorrow to serenity and acceptance, and myriad points in between." Without knowledge of their recent history, Foo Fighters ' summary of their forthcoming record sounds like the usual pre-release spiel.
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