Album review: But Here We Are by Foo Fighters is defiant and impressive
Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters did most of the playing on But Here We Are. (Picture: AP Photo/Leo Correa)
- Foo Fighters
- But Here We Are
- ★★★★☆
David Grohl started Foo Fighters to cope with his grief following the suicide of his Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain. Now the group’s story has completed a horrible full circle. Their 11th album was recorded in the shadow of the death of Foos drummer Taylor Hawkins (50) and of Grohl’s mother, Virginia, who passed away six months after Hawkins, while the Foos were touring last summer.
Given the circumstances, it is no surprise But Here We Are should be one of Grohl's starkest. Yet it never entirely abandons all hope. Layered within the melancholy are cataclysmic guitars and hooks that confirm Grohl’s belief in the healing power of rock'n'roll. The dominant mood is defiance. But Here We Are is about death and loss but also the importance of putting one foot in front of the other.
Grohl’s songwriting has never been tighter, and fans of early Foos hits such as 'Everlong' and 'Learn To Fly' will find much here to cherish. It starts with 'Rescued', a jangly rocker that finds Grohl reeling (“it came in a flash, came out of nowhere”) but still able to serve up a punchy riff and a bulldozing chorus.
If the album feels like a spiritual successor to those earliest Foos releases, it may be because, just like them, it’s essentially a Grohl solo project. He sings, plays guitar and steps in for Hawkins on drums. The only outside contributions of significance are producer Greg Kurstin, who brings a pop spark. And Grohl’s’ 17-year-old daughter, Violet, who delivers backing vocals on 'Show Me How'.
The centrepiece is 'The Teacher', a grungy ten-minute epic which harks back to Nirvana even as it acknowledges the grief haze through which Grohl has struggled in the past year. Amid the heaviness of loss But Here We Are insists on gazing to the future: it is a descent into the darkness that comes up looking for the light.
