After Nirvana, to where? That was Dave Grohl's concern when the biggest grunge band in the world came to a sudden end in spring 1994. After an appropriate period of mourning, Grohl formed a new band, and named them after kamikaze Japanese pilots in the second world war. Thus was born the Foo Fighters.
The group's 1995 eponymous debut yielded the top five hit single "This Is A Call", cementing the legacy of the group that dare not speak its name. More in keeping with the group's future direction were quirky numbers "For All The Cows" and more straightforward rockers "Big Me". 1997's sophomore set The Colour And The Shape
lacked an obvious single, though "Everlong" became a firm fan favourite. 99's There Is Nothing Left To Lose
saw the band become video clip staples, with the funny short for "Learn To Fly." After a brief break for Grohl to play with Queens Of The Stone Age, the band has returned with its fourth album.
Throughout their career, the Foo Fighters have always played the second fiddle, never quite the orchestra leader. The group does come up with at least two moments of genius per album, they're disciplined, they're professional, and they do what they do extremely well. But they've always been just that bit too clinical, at the expense of spontaneity. No one has ever written the headline "Foo Fighter Drives Car Into Swimming Pool". At least, not until now.
That said, "All My Life" is one of the obligatory moments of genius. The atmosphere is laden, heavy, and thoroughly claustrophoic. There's ghosts in the machine, there's sex, and there's a huge dollop of frustration. And it reaches those deeper parts that have traditionally been neglected by grunge-lite bands. The group has made its name by taking the cream of other ideas - a bit of grunge here, a dash of Loud Bit / Quiet Bit - and doing it with such verve, panache, and style that it's an unmissable listen.
If I've not missed the clock, we're due a rock revival any year now, and just as the Foos rose as the grunge scene was cooling, so they're leading the newer groups into the limelight.
This is a Zeitgeist Record because... the hard rock revival begins here.
Key moment: "Done! Done! Onto the next one!" 3:23 in.
Predominent colours: Orange-brown and pinky-purple
The album One By One
is now number one.