Foo Fighters was a band that was formed directly after
the end of Nirvana, the band lead singer/guitar player David Grohl played drums
for. David went into the studio for a week after hearing the news of Nirvana's
lead singer Kurt Cobain's suicide. He recorded songs about how he felt, and
released it as a demo tape dubbed "Foo Fighters". Grohl wanted to stay anonymous for a while
since Nirvana was one of the most famous bands at the time, and he didn't want
to be under the microscope of the public for a short while. The demo tape
garnered a lot of attention, and almost two decades later, the Foo Fighters are
still going strong, writing hit songs like "Rope", "Monkey
Wrench", and "The Pretender"
I initially got into this band when my old friend Jason
showed me "The Pretender" music video back when it came out in 2007.
The lyrics were almost mystical to me at the time, but what really made my jaw
drop were the instrumentals. I never really heard anything quite like the Foo
Fighters at that point. After hearing "The Pretender", I didn't
really listen to them a lot until four to five years later. It wasn't because I
didn't like them, it was just that I never listened to full albums a lot at
that point. I only listened to a track here and there, but one day I just
decided to listen to The Colour and the
Shape and Echoes, Silence, Patience,
& Grace from cover to cover and it was quite possibly one of the
greatest decisions I ever made as a musician. There were songs on the albums
that were soft acoustic tracks, and then there were tracks that were loud,
kickass rock tracks. Each album had a perfect blend of soft tracks and loud
tracks, thus providing the fans a very dynamic, strong catalog.
Foo Fighters have a lot to offer musically. They were
never a four chord band, and they always wanted to push the envelope as
musicians. Drummer Taylor Hawkins is a monster drummer and knows how to
embellish tracks without overplaying and making pieces sound awkward. Bassist
Nate Mendel keeps a great groove, and if you listen closely, adds nice tags to
his bass lines to make sure that they don't just follow the simple root notes
of the guitar. Chris Shiflett, the lead guitar player, plays very percussive
lead parts that add a lot of flavor to the songs. Pat Smear, David Grohl's
guitar player whilst in Nirvana, lays down a great rhythm guitar along with
lead singer David Grohl. Grohl's vocals are an even blend of old school punk
screaming, and melodic phrases make the band truly unique. Lyrically, their
songs are varied and stretch across various topics. They don't strictly stick
to romance and love as a point of topics, thus making them a well rounded band
lyrically. The Foo Fighters have been one of those bands that has stood the
test of time and I am sure they will be relevant in the music industry for years
to come due to the bands' unique songs and their sheer creativity when it comes
to writing songs.
The Pretender: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBjQ9tuuTJQ
Monkey Wrench: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7rCNiiNPxA
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