This is the Foo Fighters 2nd Studio album in 1997 after their self titled album but their debut album together as a band because Dave Grohl had recorded almost all of the first Foo Fighters album by himself, but since William Goldsmith left the band during the recording of the album, Grohl ended up playing drums for most of the tracks. Considered one of their finest albums, with such popular songs as "Monkey Wrench" and "Everlong", it reached #3 UK and #10 US.
--- The Review ---
1. Doll
This is basically an intro to the album due to its short time. This track is not a real song so I can't rate it accurately and there isn't much to say about it but it is just a clean guitar playing and Dave singing which is just about it with a few drumming in it but it is a good start towards the next song, "Monkey Wrench" with its production. The music is the highlight here as it sounds like you are on a beach at times.
Rating: 4/5
2. Monkey Wrench
This song explodes onto the scene with straight away guitars and drums playing. The song is very lively at all times and it is a good song to play live. This is an extremely powerful song in loudness especailly at the bridge where Dave screams out words that are full of angsty which really puts up the tone of the song. This song is excellent and is a perfect song to put on after a quiet song. This also the 2nd released song on the album and it reached #9 on the charts.
Rating: 5/5
3. Hey, Johnny Park
Starts with a drum fill then moves straight to the rhythm of the song. The verses are very quiet compared to the rest of the song, with a clean guitar playing and quiet drums. The vocals here on this song is exceptional and it is full of emotion on the chorus. The song is actually nice to listen to as it isn't extreme as "Monkey Wrench" but has that kind of rock n roll sound. Overall, a very good song to listen to.
Rating: 4/5
4. My Poor Brain
This song has absolutely no sense to it with its lyrics, to me its just random. Either way, the start is just feedback on guitar for at least 10 seconds then it all goes quiet with guitar. The vocals are soothing at places and then extreme at choruses. The bridge is quite cool with slide guitar and frantic drumming. Like I said, this song is random even at the end as it gets so repetitive. Its an ok song but it is no where near as good as the others.
Rating: 3/5
5. Wind Up
Starts with feedback again but with additional guitaring over it. The drums are excellent at the start. The rhythm is very powerful on its power chords after every chorus. Again, this song is extreme like "Monkey Wrench" on its vocals, even the music is on the bridge with the effects of phaser/distortion which brings out the explosion afterwards when Dave screams out words at his highest tone. Overall, a good song which is better than "My Poor Brain" with its logics.
Rating: 3.75/5
6. Up In Arms
The song is slow at the first half of the song with its relaxing vocals and music. Then after this, the song repeats again but with life, which means it is much faster and more musical texture which is more enjoyable. This is only a short song but it needs to be as there is nothing spectacular about it.
Rating: 3/5
7. My Hero
Drums play at the start here which sets off the rhythm. The guitars are used for melodic usage and they sound great. This song is beautiful in a Rock way as it has that emotion in the music with the lyrics talking about a hero. The vocals are amazing here, Dave's best here and also the songs construction is great. The guitar puts that heroic atmosphere on the song and the drums represent the power of the song which the drums are so damn good. This song is a beauty and one of the best on the album.
Rating: 5/5
8. See You
This song is kind of bland musically. It doesn't strike me as much as the other songs on the album. Its so different to the others which makes it not stand out from the rest. The vocals are simple and music isn't fantastic, pretty boring to listen to as well as it gets so repetitive even though it is a short song, that tells you how repetitive it is. Disappointing.
Rating: 2/5
9. Enough Space
This song is quite extreme with its crazy bass line and the guitar's strong powerful power chords. The drums are very strong and shows how loud the song is. The chorus is very loud with Dave screaming again which is superb the way he does it. The bridge is awesome and the song finishes off with a sudden stop. Very good song.
Rating: 4/5
10. February Stars
This song is like a ballad. It is very relaxing to listen to with its music and the vocals are really nice to hear. The guitaring for at least 3 minutes is arpeggio and drums are strong on this slow part of the song. It is another beautiful song to listen to, especailly when it picks up to full gain of distortion which brings out the loveliness of the song, it shows power and prevents boredom. An excellent song to listen to and makes me wonder why they didn't release it.
Rating: 5/5
11. Everlong
Quiet riff of guitaring at the start but then goes to a pulse beating rhythm on the drums which brings out the darkness of the song. This song is amazing with its emotion on vocals and musical wise. The guitar riffs are genius on drop D and drums are brilliant all through the song. Probably one of my favourite songs of all time. You got to listen to it to believe me. One of the Foos best songs as well.
Rating: 5/5
12. Walking After You
It may seem boring the song but it has a relaxing feel to the music. It makes you want to sleep all the way through the song. Even Dave doesn't go screaming his head out on this song which is a surprise. Even so, the song is pretty good but not amazing as it doesn't have that moving feeling to make you want to listen to it all the time.
Rating: 3.5/5
13. New Way Home
Kicks off straight away with proper Foos music. This sounds like Hey, Johnny Park but it has more of a beat to it. The music is very good and the vocals are good as well. Nothing special though. The song changes after 2 minutes to palm-muting guitaring. The vocals are quiet then the whole thing picks up throughout the whole song and gets faster each time which is something different. It is a good way of finishing an album.
Rating: 3.75/5
Overall, the album is very good with some of the songs but some bring it down considerably. Musically wise, this album has the best music out of all of the Foo Fighter albums. The vocals are top notch from Dave Grohl and drums from him is spectacular all the way through. This album gets 4/5.
Best of Album:
- Monkey Wrench
- My Hero
- February Stars
- Everlong
Overall: 4/5
