Foo Fighters
The Colour and the Shape

Release Date: 1997 | Tracklist

The Year is 1997; the music scene is in a state of flux. Disposable pop is on the way to world domination, Radiohead's OK Computer goes some way to stem the flow on the Alt Rock front; Ixay on the Hombre and Dude ranch try to cover punk. But who would do what about normal, old fashioned rock? Who would step up to protect the genre from the disposable pop? Step forward Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel and Taylor Hawkins, together making up the Foo Fighters; Dave Grohl's Post-Nirvana project and arguably, at this stage in their life, better than Nirvana ever were.

The tracks on The Colour and the Shape are some of my all-time favourites, not because I'm a huge foo fighters fan that makes a point to force myself to like every song by them, that blinkered viewpoint is reserved for my true favourite bands; this album however, no matter how hard I try, doesn't bring out any immediate down points for me. It has pretty much what anyone could ask for in just over 45 minutes, from (for the most part) mellowing tracks like 'February Stars' which is 3 parts soft, mellow track to 2 parts all out yell-fest. But that's not all, Nate Mendel gets to show off his skills with the bass riff in 'Enough Space' a basic jump up and down track that seems quite calm until, out of the blue, Dave screams 'But there never seems to be enough space.' It's vocals like this that have plagued Dave Grohl with throat problems; but while this description would make you think that Dave goes through the entire album screaming, that is not the case. Songs like 'Walking after you' and first track 'Doll' exhibit the soothing part of Dave's range.

While I've pretty much focused on the vocal aspects of the Foo Fighters on this album, that's not to say that the rest of the band sit back on their behinds and do nothing. Au contraire the instrumentation on this album is in no way lacking. Dave Grohl's guitar skills help to make this album what it is. 'February Stars'' guitar sets the tone of the song brilliantly, complimenting his vocals, making the song what it is. Nate Mendel's bass work, as I have already mentioned briefly compliments each individual song; whether it's working in the background with the drums in 'Everlong' of standing out in the forefront like in 'Enough Space', Nate exhibits a knack for knowing what will work in which song. I'll expand on my brief analysis of Enough Space as an example. The song would be lacking if the song had went for a bass riff which sat in the background instead of pounding away at the ears. Taylor Hawkins puts a sterling effort in on the drums as well, he doesn't sound like someone who played as part of Alanis Morisette's backing band. He comes up with some good little drum parts as well, for example, the snare roll in 'Up in Arms' to the drumbeat in 'My Hero', to the gentle drumming in 'February Stars' everything he does slips in and links everything together rather nicely

So, if you wish me to jump to my personal opinion of this album, I'll do so.

This album, in my opinion, is the Foo's best work; every member has knuckled down and done their best. From Dave, his amazing vocal range and some simple but effective guitar work. From Nate, some brilliant bass riffs and an honourable mention for the bass riff in 'Enough Space'. From Taylor, some good drumbeats and drumming that doesn't look to dominate the entire song; and from all of them in general, some brilliantly linked melodies and some impeccable songs, which is why I give this a'

'5/5

*Star Track*

The jewel in this album's gem-encrusted crown is the amazing 'February Stars', Dave Grohl's lyrics bring the image of a man who has lost everything worth living for and is merely 'hanging on'; which, in an album that has some real rocking tracks (Enough Space, Monkey Wrench), this track reminds you that music doesn't have to be all out screaming and shouting to get an emotion across. The music in the verses could be said to be rather minimalist, just a quiet acoustic guitar and some drums, adding to the sad aura. That said, the track ends in style when the guitar becomes loud and distorted, and Taylor seems to find the cymbals and, leading into the chorus, plays a little drumbeat similar to fireworks exploding. The song goes for a big finish, and while a lot of bands would have flopped on that, the Foo Fighters do it in style.


Tracks to download:

New Way Home
Enough Space
February Stars
Hey, Johnny Park!

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4.1 excellent

Rank: #76 for 1997