Hard rock has a long and illustrious history. Albums like Led Zeppelin's "Led Zeppelin 4," Jimi Hendrix's "Electricladyland" and Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" changed the face of music forever. Along with more modern examples like Metallica and Soundgarden, these artists made a profound impact on rock music by writing inspired, innovative songs that captivate the listener and can be found in every good music collection.
Then, on the other hand, sometimes there are albums like the Foo Fighters' third release, "There is Nothing Left to Lose."
Dave Grohl is back and leading his Fighters once again in the battle against Foo (whatever that is). "Nothing" is the follow-up to the highly successful and critically acclaimed "The Colour and the Shape," which featured the radio hits "My Hero" and "Monkey Wrench."
Apparently Grohl liked the airplay, because almost every song on "Nothing Left to Lose" sounds like MTV soundtrack material. While "Colour" and the band's first self-titled release were experimental and showed some songwriting ingenuity, the Foo Fighters' latest release sticks to one basic formula: melody, melody and more melody.
Perhaps in an effort to escape from the depressing songs of his Nirvana years, Grohl has opted to ignore the lower chords on every song but one. "Stacked Actors," the album's first track, falls into the "stoner rock" genre made popular by the likes of Kyuss, Fu Manchu and Queens of the Stone Age. Coincidentally, it is also the album's strongest selection, a four-minute showcase of rumbling guitar riffs, strong rhythm and vocals that flow with -- rather than dominate -- the music itself.
Unfortunately it's all downhill from there. That is, unless, you loved "Monkey Wrench" and "My Hero" and wanted to hear 35 more minutes of them. The songs are not even distinguishable from one another until track nine, "Headwires." Songs two through eight are almost identical in structure, while the final three songs use a slower take on the same basic melody-driven formula.
Even the CD packaging is annoying. The lyrics are not listed anywhere, and the band members are not listed anywhere on the CD either. The authors of the liner notes were kind enough to point out, however, that "Jimmy Swanson is god" and that it took eight different people to record the album.
And while the disc has numerous negative qualities, "There is Nothing Left to Lose" should not be dismissed simply as an awful album. The individual songs, when listened to separately, are well executed and rather catchy in some instances. "Gimme Stitches" actually is enjoyable as a single but by the time you get to it -- track four -- you're already getting tired of the disc and are ready for something new.
But this just illustrates the album's chief deficiency -- as a whole it is weak and monotonous. "The Colour and the Shape" was a strong album because the tempo was constantly changing; no two songs shared the exact same formula and there was a good mix of fast and slow tracks. "Nothing" does not show such fluidity, and it's difficult to listen to from start to finish.
Like an episode of "Baywatch," the album has certain good aspects, which are more ... enticing than others, but, like "Baywatch," the overall lack of depth makes it painful to listen to. It's just the same plot over and over again.
Grade: C
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