Album Review: Foo Fighters - But Here We Are

It doesn't seem fair to be passing judgment on this record. Clearly, the band is still going through the grieving process, and making this record was their way of getting to the other side of it. I'm surprised this is the route they chose, but that's no criticism. Everyone has their own way of dealing with these things, and none is more correct than any other. What it does, though, is make saying anything about the result a bit delicate. If the band is pouring their hearts out into these songs, who am I to sit here and say their raw emotions aren't any good?

But that's the job, and it's what we're here to do.

When the first single, "Rescued", was released, I was caught completely off-guard. Not only was I not expecting the band to return so soon, but doing so with a song that sounded like a complete return-to-form was the last thing I expected. It did make sense, once I thought about it, but a decade of being disappointed washed away hearing those chords and tones that brought "There Is Nothing Left To Lose" back into my mind.

Unfortunately, that didn't last very long. As more singles came out, my enthusiasm was dampened with each one. "Under You" was still a solid track, but then the band's penchant for experimentation get the worst of them. "Show Me How" has been described by others as 'dream pop', while I would just say it's dull. It tries to set up an echoing atmosphere, but that sound is a bit like pouring a bunch of herbs and spices on a plate. They might have color and flavor, but there's no substance to them. That's a bit of an extreme analogy, but the slow burn that never ignites is one of my least favorite musical tropes. It isn't entirely a waste of time, but there isn't much to carry with me once it's over.

And I suppose that's what I find odd about this record. For everything they are dealing with, these songs don't feel any more passionate or emotional than the last few records did. They aren't going through the motions, but if you didn't already know about the emotional tumult, you wouldn't find much of it in these songs. The tame version of Foo Fighters is not the one that should be showing up in this moment. To hear them is rather disappointing.

There are a few echoes of the past that warm my heart, but when even those often get bogged down in washes of tuneless fuzz that build to repetitive choruses, it does feel like a dying echo. I'm remembering what Foo Fighters used to be, and this sounds to me like that bad with all of the muscle and sheen stripped off the bone. Was the band always relying on such a flimsy structure? I'd like to think not.

This record, just by virtue of sounding more like a Foo Fighters record, is better than the last couple of albums. I haven't cared for anything since "Wasting Light", and the difference between that record and this one is night and day. Despite everything they had going on to pour into this record, it doesn't have a fraction of the power or passion "Wasting Light" bristled with.

I hate to say it, but this record is dull. That's so, so sad to say.