One by One

by

Foo Fighters

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If anyone ever comes up to you and says that the Foo Fighters' newest album, One By One, rocks, slap them and say, "That's an understatement you heathen." To say the this cd rocks doesn't do it justice. You would think with extrordinary albums like "The Colour and The Shape" and "There is Nothing Left To Loose" that it couldn't get any better. You're thinking wrong. As soon as you pop in 1X1 you're blown out of your mind. Listening to the first song, "All My Life", is like watching the most intense suspense film you can find. The tension builds up in the verses and throws you around like a football at a 49er's game in the chorus. But it doesn't stop there. you might have to sit down to indure the intense guitar face-off in the next track "Low." But all this rocking isn't in vein. They throw in great ballads like the soothing "Tired of You" and the harmonious "Lonely as You" that takes a turn from a warm ballad to a loud screaming power tune. One of the highlights of this cd is the exit track. It starts with a Bush-esque guitar riff then takes you into a fullfledged Foo melody. Then when you think the song is over it comes back, then back again, better each time. The cd is a beautiful mix of drummer Taylor Hawkin's vibrant and vigorous drums, bassist Nate Mendel's fulfilling and tentalizing bass, guitarists Chris Shiflett and Dave Grohl's evocative and zealous guitars, that blend perfectly with Grohl's at times soothing voice and at other times his powerful screaming that doens't take it to far and doesn't let him off as a sissy screamer. One By One may be the best album of the year. In an interview drummer Hawkins said, "We're not trying to save rock 'n' roll. We're leaving that to Scott Weiland." When you don't try is when you accidently succeed in something you're not trying to do. 9.5/10 Highlights: "All My Life" "Lonely As You" "Tired of You" "Disenchanted Lullabye" "Comeback"

You might have to listen to "One by One" more than two or three times to fully enjoy it; the album lacks the immediate fuzzed-up punk sound of the first record, Foo Fighters, which may be the band's best. Additionally, "One by One" doesn't have the two or three made-for-radio tunes like the second album did, although "Halo" and "Lonely as You" come close. It also doesn't contain the quiet melodic elegance of the Foo's third album, which I felt was underrated.

Overall, this is a noisy guitar record that Foo fans will like, at once raging and harmonic, delicate and brutal, like the Smashing Pumpkins during their glory years. David Grohl hasn't branched out much, but he still digs good riffs and chord progressions. "Times Like These," a schmaltzy radio hit, finds Grohl in a philosophic peace-'n'-love post-Sept. 11 mood: "It's times like these you learn to live again/It's times like these you give and give again."

At times, "One by One" is retreaded work, and even hits a lull on "Tired of You," a dull song that features the normally dynamic Brian May of Queen contributing. Nonetheless, the album finds its spark on the back-half portion; close-out tunes like the upbeat "Overdrive" and "Burn Away" are typical Foo's fare, with a driving pop melody and soaring chorus, respectively. The final song, "Come Back," is a long, dark and in-your-face epic that, for some reason, slightly misses the mark. I prefer end-of-the-line tracks like "Exhausted" and "Long Way Home," but Grohl still deserves credit for putting his heart on the line with heartfelt tunes like "Come Back," even if the song doesn't have an original feel.

Interestingly, the inside CD booklet of "One by One" has a Smashing Pumpkins vibe in terms of artwork and wording. Unfortunately, copping the Pumpkins' look did not translate to an exceptionally original CD from the Foos.