Foo Fighters : But Here We Are

Dave Grohl is one of those people you wish you were friends with. Someone you’d love to hang out with and talk about music, movies, favorite drummers, or whatever. He’s just got something about him that says ‘I’m genuine”. There’s also the fact he was in Nirvana, then tragedy hit and Nirvana was no more. So Grohl then starts his own band(yep, Foo Fighters) and surpasses what came before.

Foo Fighters defined the sound of alternative rock from 1995 thru the mid-2000s. From the debut(which Grohl performed and recorded all by his lonesome) clear to 2002s One By One Grohl and Foo Fighters filled stadiums and amassed fans with their mixture of pop hooks, wall of guitars, and Grohl’s impressive howl. From 2004’s In Your Honor on each record had some catchy tunes but didn’t seem to break any new ground. Foos stayed in their lane.

But Here We Are is Foo Fighters 11th studio album, and their first since the tragic death of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins. The band isn’t reinventing their sound, but they’ve offered up their best album since 2011’s Wasting Light. It’s both a fitting tribute to their former drummer and friend, as well as a solid Foo Fighters record.

“Rescued” comes blasting out of the starting gates full of fist-pumping vigor and stadium-sized chutzpah. It’s a hell of a rock and roll tune, and the band sound amazing. Grohl sounds like he’s singing for the world here. “Under You” hits pop punk majesty, locking into There Is Nothing Left To Lose youthful grandeur. Lyrically this is a song sung to Hawkins, especially with a line like “Pictures of us sharing songs and cigarettes/This is how I’ll always picture you”.

The ten tracks here don’t ever fall into the middling self-seriousness of the last few releases by Foo Fighters. When the band tried being a “serious” rock band that’s where the songs began to lack. If you’ve got three guitarists, then your songs should sound something like “Nothing At All” which absolutely rips. “Beyond Me” is the closest thing to a ballad, but never gets schmaltzy. There’s even a 10-minute jam called “The Teacher” that might have been the result of the band’s tinkering in prog territory for a possible future album.

The loss of Taylor Hawkins will be felt for a very long time. Probably the lifetime of the band, as he was not only their drummer for the past nearly 30 years, but he was Grohl’s best friend. But Here We Are is a fantastic tribute to their fallen friend, and a promising look at what a post-Hawkins Foo Fighters will sound like.