[Music] Foo Fighters – There Is Nothing Left to Lose
October 29, 2011
I hope this tattoo is temporary
When I noticed that by the fourth track, “Gimme Stitches”, I was lip-syncing and bobbing my head as if this is any decent modern Rock album, I was confronted with the fact this may finally be a Foo Fighters album that is worth my time. In the end, it’s still not a good album – But it’s the first album where there’s almost nothing that is offensive because of its blandness. There are still few good songs, but what isn’t good is at least decent, and pleasant enough that I wouldn’t ask anyone to turn it off. Considering how bad some of the Fighters’ albums are, it’s an achievement.
You can’t really talk about “evolution” in the band’s sound, since this form of Rock is only about kicking catchy hooks and riffs and not interesting musical ideas, but there is a noteable change from its predecessors (And its follow-up, One By One). Nothing Left to Lose (Seriously, was it necessarily for the title to be this long? It just looks stupid) is not simply more melodic, it puts it in the forefront. Any attempts to rock hard or to sometimes experiment with sound are not even considered. If some songs sound different to each other, it’s only because the melodies demand that. It actually suits the band’s style more, since the Fighters don’t have any character to speak of, they can simply give us good melodies that can be hummed. Songwriting can save even the worst-sounding bands.
It doesn’t mean Nothing Left to Lose is full of pop-rock gems, but it does mean that its highs are higher than most in its style. The opener, “Stacked Actors”, is probably the band’s best songs, suddenly made me excited over this music again, and made me want to look for Hard Rock (I’ve heard so much that I barely bother with it anymore). “Learn to Fly” gets better with every listen, and becomes more uplifting because Grohl never tries to sound big and important. Singing like he’s just another guy on the street made him bland, but it makes “Learn to Fly” sound more authentic and inspiring. “Gimme Stitches” is just good. It’s about nothing, like most of their songs, but it’s catchy for a change. It also has a nice bouncy rhythm. “Live-In Skin” is the odd one out, since its chorus was probably written in five seconds, but the verses and the bridge are a strong contender for the Foo’s best moments. Since it appeared on their most songwriting-focused record, it’s structured well enough that getting through the chorus is not hard and is worth it for the good parts.
This was “the only songs you need” section, but unlike the rest of the albums everything else is worth hearing, at least if you really love this style of music. I’m not going to reach out for “Aurora” or “Next Year”, but each gets enough right to make them good enough I’ll enjoy them while they’re on. That’s something they haven’t been able to do before. They either made stuff that is flatout bad or stuff that is so bland it’s just not worth hearing. Mind you, the band still sounds bland beyond belief, it’s just that stronger songwriting and no attempt to rock loud (The only time they do they end up making their best song), means the blandness doesn’t draw my attention.
The few bad spots would have been considered highlights in The Colour and The Shape. “Breakout” starts off lame, then sounding good, and by the time it hits the chorus the band gives up on making a coherent song and Grohl just plays with the syllables of the word ‘breakout’ for the chorus. That would have worked if he sounded as cool as Rob Zombie, but he’s not. “Generator” has a vocoder that appears once and then never attracts attention, and the chorus is actually two hooks spliced up and not really connecting. Oddly enough, these two were singles. Who was responsible for that? “Ain’t It the Life” and “Headwires” are also very forgettable, but they still don’t make me reach for the ‘turn off’ button so it counts as progress.
If you’re going to need a Foo Fighters album then, well, get their few songs and compile a playlist. I’ve heard four albums already and none of them are good as a whole, not even for those who enjoy this style. Still, if somehow you’re going to be in a possession of a Foo Fighters album, it should be this one. It has three good songs, and only two songs that come close to bad. It’s an achievement for the band. They haven’t continued the success on their next album (Although that one had “Disenchanted Lullaby”), and Nothing Left to Lose finally puts them in league with Fuel, Puddle of Mudd and the rest – Bands who have a few great songs and just okay filler.
Highs: More focus on melodies and songwriting, the weakest parts aren’t that bad
Lows: Still bland, and still only a few songs worth a listen
Rating: 2.5/5
