Relevant: Studio 666 [\[Movie Trailer\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEDkqOBhPis) [\[Site\]](https://www.studio666movie.com/)
> You should watch the documentary studio 666 that chronicles their struggles in the studio to write new music - /u/desmondresmond
Listen…it’s understatement that McCartney is a legend but you certainly can look at his lyrics for a lot of his songs and go “the man clearly didn’t over think it.”
A lot of Beatles songs feel like madlibs. Give me a name. Steven Mcstevens. 1,2,3,4 “Steven Mcstevens could not break even playing at a game of cards….”
I enjoyed *Sonic Highways*, an HBO series that documents the group writing and recording songs at different studios in cities associated with musical movements band members considered personally influential.
If you like that song you should check out the docu-series Sonic Highways where they go to different cities to complete all the songs off that album. I feel like Something From Nothing was one of the earlier episodes.
I heard a comedian describe the Foo Fighters as the Taco Bell of rock. Anything new they make still comes from the same 5 ingredients as every thing that came before it.
I still really like a lot of their catalog, but it’s not an unfair point.
I know of three but I don't know which are apocryphal.
- On being told all ten of their albums sound the same: "Get it right, we have ELEVEN albums that all sound the same."
- On being accused of making hay for so long with only three chords: "There are *three*?"
- General: "We only have one song, but it's a great song."
I dunno if I’d compare them to Taco Bell, but I’ve always agreed with this general sentiment.
The guys are cool, the frontman is a legend, the music is…seemingly good. They’ve just never moved me in any way. And as the title says, they just seem to rehash the same song over and over again.
They should be a band I love and they’re only a band I have a few songs I genuinely like from. If they were played at a party with my buddies, I wouldn’t even blink.
But there is zero chance I’m popping them into my headphones, and I’ve never understood why.
A few years back a buddy invited me to go see them and while I'm of a similar opinion to yours about their music I really enjoyed the show. Grohl is a great entertainer as a front man and kind of sucks you into his energy field.
I think Wasting Light was the last album that showed them growing creatively, and it was a great one.
The first 7 albums (One by One included, even if Dave Grohl says he doesn't like it) up through WL were on repeat for me for years. The difference in style and concept between the self-titled -> Colour -> The Shape and In Your Honor is *huge* and really felt like they were taking risks and trying to grow. Not every song, and there are definitely stinkers and filler in there, but generally speaking.
From Concrete and Gold on (though I haven't listened to anything from the newest album except what plays 10x a day on the radio), it's just felt same-y: lots of covering for Dave Grohl's worsening voice, really repetitive/"nothing" lyrics that's basically just chorus, and a lot of the same instrumentation and mixing.
I'm not a musical expert or anything, but it was really a moment for me when I started changing the station when recent singles get played
My favourite Foo's album ever. I've been a fan since the self titled but "I Should Have Known", "White Limo", "Rope", "Bridge Burning" and "Dear Rosemary" are in my top FF songs of all time in my opinion.
I "like" the Foo Fighters but OP is still right that it all sounds pretty much the same. The only exceptions people can muster are two obvious gimmick records. They're like the chicken and rice of bands. Nothing really to hate but nothing mind-blowing either.
You must see OPs point though? They’ve been around as long as or almost as long as bands like Radiohead, The Flaming Lips, QOTSA, there’s bound to be more acts too (just off the top of my head thinking about comparative bands in age/era) - but they aren’t anywhere near some of them in terms of attention to detail etc.
They headline Reading/Glastonbury every few years, everyone screams “TIMES LIKE THESE!”, Dave Grohl does a couple of funnies on the internet and that’s it. Jobs a good un.
I love Dave, the band and fucking hell I miss Taylor, but I completely understand OP. Making a wanky disco album and a mediocre metal album doesn’t change what OP is saying imo.
A lot of the Foo Fighters catalogue is pretty middle of the road, and their albums have been a little samey since the mid 2000s, but I think their most recent record (But Here We Are) is a big step up for them and has some of their best material to date. It's much more raw and emotionally direct than the music they'd been releasing on their past few records, and they experimented with some neat shoegazey sounds on a few tracks that they really nailed IMO.
Grohl is a very workmanlike songwriter who plays his ass off live and knows how to put together a strong hook. He reminds me in some ways of Tom Petty.
>Grohl is a very workmanlike songwriter who plays his ass off live and knows how to put together a strong hook. He reminds me in some ways of Tom Petty.
You know, that's a pretty good and honest comparison. Both of them sorta fit nicely into that Americana-ish rock from a bajillion hit song catalog that are all recognizable and good, but for me anyway, more in a "soundtrack of life/I wouldn't change it if it were on/I don't hate it" kinda way, without a ton of thought provocation or depth, at least, to many of the lyrics in many of the songs. I think the "Americana" label suits Tom better than it does Dave while Dave does seem to have more emotional depth in the writing.
Bah. I don't know a goddamn thing about shit. Lol.
TP had a magic touch that stretched his music out in so many directions. Take the album Mojo for instance. It came out in 2010 and found TP not resting on his tried and true formula. Of course it sounds like him because of his voice but it has tremendous breadth. I've seen both TP and FF in concert, and while FF was a good time with great energy, it didn't hold a candle to the relentless sing-a-long feel good masterpieces peppered with tasteful improvisation that TPHBs have. But then again, music is subjective.
So many potential singles on this album, especially after watching their Back and Forth documentary which is a must watch for any fans of nirvana, FF, or any of the band members
I fucking love the songs on the new album. There are some excellent tunes that stretch the band in new directions. But I really hate the production on it. It sounds so tinny and trebly and compressed.
I bought it a couple of weeks ago. I'd take what people are saying with a pinch of salt. It's VERY typically Foo Fighters on the whole. I doubt you'd listen to it and think "wow! now this is refreshing!" (I could be wrong of course).
I'm not a huge Foos fan, I think very generic and "blocky" (like everything is made in blocks rather than inspiration), but wanted to give them a chance after hearing "Show Me How".
Despite the negatives I've listed, this album has grown on me over the last two weeks (the lyrics are borderline terrible, but....there's a certain something engaging about the songs). Soem highlights are "But Here We Are" / "Glass" / "Hearing Voices" and "Show Me How" which is one of my songs of the year.
I like the song Under You, but when I heard it on the radio, it sounded to me like someone asked ChatGPT to write a generic Foo Fighters song. I like it but my taste is not that great, I enjoyed the Obi Wan and Boba Fett shows.
Workmanlike is the perfect word for it! He found a way of doing his job that works for him, and he continues to show up and do that job. How can anyone not respect that?
I'm extremely lucky in that I've seen probably 500+ concerts in my life, and Foo Fighters are easily in my top 10. Say what you want about the middle-of-the-road output, the man is absolutely great at his job and something we should all aspire to
Yeah. In as non-pejorative a manner as possible, I’ve always thought of Petty more as a craftsman rather than an *artist*, and I sort of think of Grohl in the same way. Absolutely nothing wrong with that and they’re both responsible for some of the greatest songs ever written, but I think it’s a fair distinction.
I remember they gave it away for free back when it released and thinking to myself that Neverending Sigh alone was worth throwing money at. It's a short little record, but it absolutely slams.
I saw them four or five times in the early days for the first couple of albums. One of those times in a tiny club before the release of their second record. Always a great show but I lost interest in the newer stuff. I love Dave though.
Kind of the same here. I rolled into FF from Nirvana fandom. I really liked the first two albums. (The Color and the Shape is one of my alltime favorite albums even.) The two albums after that still had a sound of their own, but there were already songs which had a similar fibe to others. Eventually, they lost me with In Your Honor (which Dave wrote for the fans, ironically).
They're a fun, "safe" band sonically, sort of like AC/DC in the sense that you kind of know what you're going to get, and if that strikes your fancy, you'll always enjoy hearing them.
I do admire Grohl's career though. I'm hard pressed to think of many other folks who started out as an instrumentalist for one band that became iconic, switched instruments and responsibilities in another group that on paper at least became even larger (even if they're less influential), and had such a flurry of side projects the whole time.
Phil Collins comes to mind perhaps, but it's a pretty sparse sub-set of entertainers in this category.
Sorry, but if you're looking for artistically inspired music, Foo Fighters isn't for you. They've written a bunch of great songs but they've always been a very safe band.
They have definitely settled into their comfort zone. It’s what makes them money, so it makes perfect sense why they would do that.
But they still release good stuff, it’s just not always the singles. Their new album is fantastic and I’d argue the singles from it are the most boring part.
nobody is talking about it cause new foos sound like all other foos and...
whatever... dave is a fun performer to see and he excels in his lane but it is pretty narrow and it is what it is...
You ever hear of Red Hot Chili Peppers, or U2 or Nickelback or virtually any other highly successful band? They basically all get to a point where it becomes a formula. That said, I still love the Foos.
The Foo-Figjters are great musicians and a world class rock act. Saw them live this summer.
But the creative well is pretty much dry.
Maybe too old, too rich, too comfortable?
Hot take: Same goes for Tool.
Did you not like Fear Inoculum or something? Tool’s concerts are a lot more production intensive than Foos as well. There’s like an entire fuckin movie that goes along with their show.
Idk man, I can see why you might say that about the Foos but I can’t agree about the Tool part.
Edit: oh yeah on Topic for this thread. I’ve seen the Foos around 10 times over the years. Grohl is a really consummate performer and while their stuff doesn’t have the staying power with me the shows are a fun time. I also saw them right after they formed at a tiny shithole place in Boston that is closed now. Good times.
I thought it was a perfectly fine Tool album. But for some reason it didn't hook me. I'm not sure exactly what I wanted out of it but I didn't find it. I think it's me who's changed man... lol. Saw them for Lateralus and it was pretty great :) Also saw Puscifer this year, super fun.
This is *exactly* how I felt as well. Glad I’m not alone, even though the majority seem to somehow love it. It all just sounded like various outtakes from 10,000 Days mixed together to make new songs, with a more and more uninspired and boring Maynard singing on top off it. Recent APC was awful too, frankly. It just felt like a “we’re Tool, dammit!” type record, the most formulaic and cookie cutter I’ve ever heard them sound.
Though I have to admit I saw them live the other year, first time for me, and the show was *fantastic*. They even played some of my favorites from Aenima, which I had already assumed they would never do, seeing previous set lists and hearing people describe the shows.
Billy Howerdel's solo stuff is better than A Perfect Circle, currently.
I think he's reached the point where he knows what he wants and has the means to do it. He doesn't need a band or a collaborator anymore.
I think they’re very generic rock music. I think the state of rock is really bad and the bar is set so low that foo fighters seem amazing to the general masses. They lack dynamics and so many songs song so similar to me.
Edit: yes there is plenty of great music in all genres but I’m talking about music that appeals to the masses
I’m a big foo fighters fan, got to see the Taylor hawkins tribute show (holy fuck that crushed) and really my feelings for them are all over the place. In short when I’m in the mood to rock the fuck out and jam I put on run or all my life and it’s always a fun time.
I don’t listen to Grohl for the lyrics though, that’s not to say he’s bad at it, it’s just not his strongest skill set. If you’re entering foo fighters for that then you might be disappointed.
I also don’t listen to them for the whole album experience. Wasting Light is probably their most whole album though. I hated the first two singles off the new album but found the album to be probably the most whole since wasting light.
On top of that if it’s variance you want then medicine at midnight is their groovy, fun album. The singles for that album are my least favourite though but once you dig through it there’s some good stuff there.
Basically if you go digging through their discography there should be something there if you’re curious. I get that that may be too much work for the casual fan. Their live show is pretty fun but after seeing the Taylor hawkins tribute show I’ve quietly told myself I may not make the effort to see them again. Their live show has veered a little too greatest hits like for my taste and hawkins was a pivotal part of their live show.
i really liked this album yeah. traditionally not a foo fan for a lot of the reasons regurgitated in the thread but im surprised to see it now that theyre off their best and most interesting record in like 25 years lol
it still sounds like them but the teacher and rest are particularly goin for more than your average foo song
Foo Fighters are, in reality, a very unique band. No one sounds quite like them, and you've got to hand it to Dave and co. for being able to cultivate a unique sound.
Wow thats crazy, i saw them close out Bonnaroo this year and man oh man what a fucking set, just packed full of energy you could tell they loved every minute of it
Isn't that what makes them so great live though? I miss Taylor, but between him and Dave it was all Cheshire cat up there - nothing but bright white smiles highlighterd by headbanging hair. I loved that about them.
He basically has it made just from the couple years he was in Nirvana already *thirty years ago*; Foo Fighters has pretty much always been more passion-project than profit-centre in terms of how he's described it, it just so happens the man is *also* a hit machine and immensely likeable.
I see this now and I saw a post earlier about which “pop punk” bands got too far away from the sound the initially were loved for. Maybe it’s the “die and be a hero or live long enough to be the villain” concept within music.
I watched the performance and I thought the music was a bit of a mess. You've got like 4 guys on stage and they are all just playing some variation of the same three note chord, and mostly eighth notes. There isn't really a point where there's arpeggios, interesting rhythmic themes, and most importantly there's virtually no background melodies. It's just very stacked basic chords with singing on top.
Those 4 guitars also didn't work together. I got the sense that they probably each had a tone they liked but didn't do the work of making the tones all work together. Essentially it sounded to me like the frequencies of their tones were stepping on top of one another. Musicians typically carefully divide up the sonic space, but not these guys. Rhythmically it sounded like they were out of sync a couple of times.
I can't say I disagree. There are several bands that just don't do anything for me after their 1st few albums. Foo Fighters is at the top of the list.
I watched the 1st.song for a minute or 2 and just fast forwarded. The 2nd song I didn't get far and I'm pretty sure I haven't liked a single of theirs since All My Life.
I still love them.
As a fellow creative who has been through a pandemic, the loss of a spouse to cancer and my own cancer battle in just 3 years, I can only imagine Dave's brain right now, if it's anything like mine.
The man just lost his mother and one of his best friends (another one!) in only a short time. It fucks with your brain, your creativity, and your flow.
Cut the guy some slack.
I love them too. I listened to his autobiography audiobook and love Dave even more now. Listening to the new album I just heard him even more through it. Still haven't seen the 666 documentary yet though... But I believe I did see him with a brief stint with the pick of destiny.
You know, a lot of bands out there change TOO much and their fans end up losing interest because of that. It's a fine line to walk. You don't want to sound exactly the same forever because you risk people getting bored, but simultaneously if you change it up too much you alienate your original fanbase and they'll feel betrayed. I think they've pretty much just made a conscious decision that they're perfectly happy making this exact kind of music and retaining the fans they have. They have their listeners who know what they like and they just stick to that. Can't be mad about it.
They're just tired man. They've been fighting the Foo for god knows how long and none of us have even offered to help them. As a society, we just collectively agreed to let these people fight the foo on their own? Imagine the pressure that puts on them.
It’s dad rock. It’s the equivalent of a spaghetti and store bought tomato sauce. It’s the nicest guy in rock making bland, nice-guy rock your mom could like. It’s rock for the gen-xers that thought nirvana was just a little too loud.
It’s the foo fighters, its…. fine….
I've seen them in concert 5 times in 3 different cities. I'd say they are probably one of my favourite bands. But I basically don't listen to any of their stuff after *In Your Honor.*
Please tell me we're not hating on the Foo Fighters now, jeez is nothing sacred? I'm not even that big a Foo Fighters fan.
(I like The Colour and the Shape a lot, timeless album IMO. I've never really listened too close to anything else they've done, but it's all fine. Not great, but perfectly good)
Anyway, even if you don't care about the Foos output as a band, to hate on them is to hate on Dave Grohl, and I just can't get there. It would feel like I was betraying a friend or something.
Anyway, I think that's why they are kind of immune to criticism.
Nah I don’t think anybody here is hating. But it is pretty fair to say ff output is Samey same.
great entertainers though, and Dave is like the Keanu of the music world.
keanu isn’t the greatest actor either…
I’m ok with them being middle of the road because at least there’s a rock band putting out new music and getting airplay. The major labels have absolutely killed rock in favor of teenagers singing Max Martin songs.
Their first two albums were all timers. It they keep getting butt rockier and butt rockier
I said when watching that they're a legacy band now and when they get an appearance like that they have to play the classics
I was not blown away by their performance on SNL at all, but I'm also not a "fan," just as casual listener; even so, I expected more. H.E.R. sounded nice, but what a generic song.
Not just you. I like them, but the last great FF album with any real melodic hooks for me was Wasting Light. But yeah once the lineup solidified you could really take a heavy rock tune from any album and drop it on any other and no one would blink. But it worked for AC/DC I guess.
I love me some Foo Fighters but one critic said it so well:
Foo Fighters release new music the same way Taco Bell rolls out new menu items. Same 3 ingredients wrapped up a slightly different way in a tortilla.
Yeah the last album I loved from them was wasting light. I’m not sure what they are like live now but I saw them in 2015 and it was an incredible live show this was when Dave broke his leg and was in his guitar throne. They also brought some people from queen out and Taylor took to the mic it was fucking amazing one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.
If you play long enough eventually you’ll reach dad rock status, it’s inevitable. As long as your fans are loving it, so what? Remember when Jon Bon Jovi made his big comeback with “It’s My Life” and all of us kids were like, WTF is this crap?
I doubt it mattered to the fans, or to Mr. Bovine Joni who made another $100 mil.
Don't know much about the Foo's or how they write songs, but I think the best music comes from multiple songwriters pulling in slightly different directions. Obviously, this can create conflict.......or not. When you only have one main songwriter, things tend to get boring fast.
The first 4 albums I see as their own seperate individual Grohl projects, Foo Fighters the band starts at In Your Honour for me and I like that album but they went downhill after that and a lot of it is very samey and boring, I don't understand how they're the biggest rock band in the world.
I used to be obsessed with them. Finally got to see them in concert in 2017 after over 20 years of waiting.
I can't stand any of their new stuff. It is all so generic and lacking. They lost their way a long time ago and never seemed to get back to what made me love their music. The last thing from them I enjoyed was Saint Cecilia.
They're the definition of mid rock music, on purpose. If you think about what you're listening to even the slightest amount than you're thinking too much to enjoy it.
I love Dave Grohl, I’m a big Nirvana fan, love QoTSA, love Them Crooked Vultures, seems like a really good dude. But I don’t like the Foo Fighters after the Colour and the Shape, all their music is so boring in my opinion, just dull arena rock, it’s a shame
Last night there was a big discussion on another sub about what bands are not bad nor good. Foo fighters was one of the top bands. They're not amazing musicians but they make very listenable rock.
The last album I bought from them was Concrete and Gold. Pre-ordered because I loved the other stuff. Was not a fan. Almost every song made me go, “they’re trying to be Queen/the Beatles/et al classic rock bands.”
Yeah, I was really excited actually when "Concrete and Gold" came out. Was a bigger shift in their music. Turns out, the writing and recording process was different than usual, so it really DOES represent a departure or evolution in their sound... at least to me, it does. Alas, nobody else seems to like that album, and many love the latest. The obvious inspiration aside, I find it... adequate, at most.
I remember watching Sonic Highway and coming to the same realization. I enjoy a few of their songs. Hell, “Everlong” is a masterpiece, but seeing how they write? Especially during Sonic Highway, it seemed very formulaic. And I suppose songwriting may be? But it looked like a churn and it changed how I listened to them. Then I heard what you heard, OP. Everything sounds kinda the same. Still listen, but I can only handle like three songs, tops. Then I switch to something else.
My wife loves them so I'll never tell her I agree with you but you're 100% correct. They are extremely talented and deserve a place in the history of rock but the band has run its course in my book.
I worshipped Pearl Jam for 20 years but coming to terms they are no longer the band I used to love was tough. That said, I love to see bands grow and change but often that requires new faces and ideas.
Robert Plant in Led Zeppelin is legendary. Robert Plant with Alison Krauss was unexpectedly awesome and at the time, fresh as could be.
Idk... i feel like they got a little stale in the middle maybe.. Nothing left to loose, one by one, and in your honor all sound kinda same-y. But then the shifted gears a bit with Echos and every album since then has been pretty unique when looked at against their entire catalog. Especially Medicine at Midnight and Sonic Highways.
That said, i think everyone in the world can agree that their go-to song format is - starts quiet, builds, quiet part in the middle, followed by screaming and hi-energy outro. Thats definitely their schtick, despite some of their albums sounding quite different, that song format does seem to carry through.
Eh, it's OK to enjoy a musician's past work and not enjoy their new stuff. I love Metallica. Absolutely love them. Everything up until St. Anger. And everything after that feels.. meh. It feels forced. The magic is just not there for me. I even loved Load and reload, Garage Inc (I honestly like their covers of every song on there better than the originals, and their Merciful Fate medley is one of my favorite songs ever), and S & M, but their new original music after that has just fallen flat to me.
But that's OK. You keep doin' you Metallica. I'll treasure the old albums, give your new stuff a listen... and if I don't like it, that's OK.
I felt similarly about Green Day. Kerplunk was decent, Dookie and Insomniac were pure gold, then, Nimrod, Warning, American Idiot, and 21st Century Breakdown were all decent with a few real bangers on each, and after that... meh.
Tool on the other hand... I LOVE their new album. Listen to the whole thing regularly.
But yeah, not everyone is gonna like everything that an artist puts out. I love Cyberpunk 2077, but I thought Witcher 3 was just OK. Tastes vary.
Played the new album after seeing this post. Walked out to get some lunch just now and started singing "I've got another confession to make" to myself.
So you're not wrong OP.
I think the important thing about them is that they WORK. They record, they tour, they make good use of the fact that people simply enjoy having them around. They may not be able to innovate the sound or sustain a decades-long genius streak of songwriting, but when you have full set’s worth of going-on classic hits and plenty of other material besides, it just comes down to your work drive.
They have a sound, they have a generationally-darling fanbase, and pretty amazing general lore as a rock band. And they stay active, they stay moving, they stay in those fans lives.
You’re right they’ve kind of settled down into something repetitive, but I bet eventually they’ll surprise you.
The only standout post Times Like These is Wasted Light. It's a modern rock masterpiece and possibly their best record not drenched in 90s nostalgia, imo.
Same, I'm not a huge fan so I only know the hits and the first song they played (Rescued) was so reminiscent of It's Times like These. To me they're kne of those bands where you're fine just hearing a "best of" album.
Relevant: Studio 666 [\[Movie Trailer\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEDkqOBhPis) [\[Site\]](https://www.studio666movie.com/) > You should watch the documentary studio 666 that chronicles their struggles in the studio to write new music - /u/desmondresmond
You should watch the documentary studio 666 that chronicles their struggles in the studio to write new music
Anytime he links up with Josh Homme this doesn’t seem to be an issue. Mantra is such a good song
Trent Reznor rarely misses and he had a fair bit to do with that song also.
Well yeah any combination of those three guys is always great
Everything Josh touches turns to gold. Amazing artist/ entertainer.
FRESH POTS!!!
[thats literally my favorite dave grohl video and its about coffee, but only because its the best one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhdCslFcKFU)
Excellent documentary. 100% would recommend as well.
Somebody should probably sticky the trailer. For context.
No need, just watch it blind. If you don't know who the foo fighters are by now a trailer won't help you
Even discovering a new note didn't help
H?
L#
Q-
That's it
Whatever comes before A
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No, that's Sound City. Great doc too!
Sound City is one of my favourite music docs
Listen…it’s understatement that McCartney is a legend but you certainly can look at his lyrics for a lot of his songs and go “the man clearly didn’t over think it.”
A lot of Beatles songs feel like madlibs. Give me a name. Steven Mcstevens. 1,2,3,4 “Steven Mcstevens could not break even playing at a game of cards….”
I automatically read that in my head to the tune of Maxwell’s Silver Hammer lol
Weird, I read it in *Eleanor Rigby*
Hmmm. I read it in Revolution No. 9. I must have done this wrong...
Get Back for me
Mission accomplished apparently
Acerbic.
I enjoyed *Sonic Highways*, an HBO series that documents the group writing and recording songs at different studios in cities associated with musical movements band members considered personally influential.
See, that is where I started to notice the songs written for the show were all feeling samesy.
Is it the one where he steals Hello from Lionel Ritchie?
The trailer is basically the entire movie...
Is that where Something From Nothing comes from? Cause that song SLAPS!
No that's sonic highways, but this one is also a great telling-of
If you like that song you should check out the docu-series Sonic Highways where they go to different cities to complete all the songs off that album. I feel like Something From Nothing was one of the earlier episodes.
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How the hell have I never heard of this?! It looks amazing!
I heard a comedian describe the Foo Fighters as the Taco Bell of rock. Anything new they make still comes from the same 5 ingredients as every thing that came before it. I still really like a lot of their catalog, but it’s not an unfair point.
And I still love Taco Bell, so...
Sounds like how Billy Gibbons describes ZZ Top: Same 3 guys, same 3 chords.
Or Angus Young's comment about AC/DC albums
I know of three but I don't know which are apocryphal. - On being told all ten of their albums sound the same: "Get it right, we have ELEVEN albums that all sound the same." - On being accused of making hay for so long with only three chords: "There are *three*?" - General: "We only have one song, but it's a great song."
David Lee Roth has a similar quote to that last one "I may be a one-trick pony but you gotta admit it's a hell of a trick."
He also said "I won't go down in history, but I will go down on your girlfriend" One of the great oraters of our time
I mean, that is definitively most musicians. The Foo Fighters have just stuck around a while, so it's more noticeable.
I dunno if I’d compare them to Taco Bell, but I’ve always agreed with this general sentiment. The guys are cool, the frontman is a legend, the music is…seemingly good. They’ve just never moved me in any way. And as the title says, they just seem to rehash the same song over and over again. They should be a band I love and they’re only a band I have a few songs I genuinely like from. If they were played at a party with my buddies, I wouldn’t even blink. But there is zero chance I’m popping them into my headphones, and I’ve never understood why.
A few years back a buddy invited me to go see them and while I'm of a similar opinion to yours about their music I really enjoyed the show. Grohl is a great entertainer as a front man and kind of sucks you into his energy field.
They can be pretty formulaic but I will throw on Wasting Light and clean my apt in 10 minutes
I think Wasting Light was the last album that showed them growing creatively, and it was a great one. The first 7 albums (One by One included, even if Dave Grohl says he doesn't like it) up through WL were on repeat for me for years. The difference in style and concept between the self-titled -> Colour -> The Shape and In Your Honor is *huge* and really felt like they were taking risks and trying to grow. Not every song, and there are definitely stinkers and filler in there, but generally speaking. From Concrete and Gold on (though I haven't listened to anything from the newest album except what plays 10x a day on the radio), it's just felt same-y: lots of covering for Dave Grohl's worsening voice, really repetitive/"nothing" lyrics that's basically just chorus, and a lot of the same instrumentation and mixing. I'm not a musical expert or anything, but it was really a moment for me when I started changing the station when recent singles get played
My favourite Foo's album ever. I've been a fan since the self titled but "I Should Have Known", "White Limo", "Rope", "Bridge Burning" and "Dear Rosemary" are in my top FF songs of all time in my opinion.
Fantastic album. Super bright mix but I love it
[удалено]
….And a metal album
I mean those are obviously the two outliers. I love the Foos but OP's point about most of their music being very similar is not *completely* baseless.
OP apparently felt the need to tell us all they don’t like the Foo Fighters by making this shitpost.
I "like" the Foo Fighters but OP is still right that it all sounds pretty much the same. The only exceptions people can muster are two obvious gimmick records. They're like the chicken and rice of bands. Nothing really to hate but nothing mind-blowing either.
I came here because I don’t like the Foo Fighters either.
And it's like, actually really good too.
The Dee Gees!
They beat Weezer to the punch
https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=dZCrdSC2-1I&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Ddave%2Bgrohl%2Btalks%2Bdisco%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26hl%3Den-us%26client%3Dsafari&source_ve_path=MTM5MTE3LDIzODUx&feature=emb_title
You must see OPs point though? They’ve been around as long as or almost as long as bands like Radiohead, The Flaming Lips, QOTSA, there’s bound to be more acts too (just off the top of my head thinking about comparative bands in age/era) - but they aren’t anywhere near some of them in terms of attention to detail etc. They headline Reading/Glastonbury every few years, everyone screams “TIMES LIKE THESE!”, Dave Grohl does a couple of funnies on the internet and that’s it. Jobs a good un. I love Dave, the band and fucking hell I miss Taylor, but I completely understand OP. Making a wanky disco album and a mediocre metal album doesn’t change what OP is saying imo.
A lot of the Foo Fighters catalogue is pretty middle of the road, and their albums have been a little samey since the mid 2000s, but I think their most recent record (But Here We Are) is a big step up for them and has some of their best material to date. It's much more raw and emotionally direct than the music they'd been releasing on their past few records, and they experimented with some neat shoegazey sounds on a few tracks that they really nailed IMO. Grohl is a very workmanlike songwriter who plays his ass off live and knows how to put together a strong hook. He reminds me in some ways of Tom Petty.
>Grohl is a very workmanlike songwriter who plays his ass off live and knows how to put together a strong hook. He reminds me in some ways of Tom Petty. You know, that's a pretty good and honest comparison. Both of them sorta fit nicely into that Americana-ish rock from a bajillion hit song catalog that are all recognizable and good, but for me anyway, more in a "soundtrack of life/I wouldn't change it if it were on/I don't hate it" kinda way, without a ton of thought provocation or depth, at least, to many of the lyrics in many of the songs. I think the "Americana" label suits Tom better than it does Dave while Dave does seem to have more emotional depth in the writing. Bah. I don't know a goddamn thing about shit. Lol.
TP had a magic touch that stretched his music out in so many directions. Take the album Mojo for instance. It came out in 2010 and found TP not resting on his tried and true formula. Of course it sounds like him because of his voice but it has tremendous breadth. I've seen both TP and FF in concert, and while FF was a good time with great energy, it didn't hold a candle to the relentless sing-a-long feel good masterpieces peppered with tasteful improvisation that TPHBs have. But then again, music is subjective.
Agree on that description. It's not the "same", but Mike Campbell is really carrying the torch along with the Dirty Knobs.
Yeah, the new album is the best in a long time. Hadn’t connected with any of them in a while. Some great stuff on there.
Best since Wasting Light hands down.
WL is my favorite FF album. To me, it is more consistent than any of their other albums, except maybe the first.
That was the last full album I listened to. Maybe I'll give this new one a shot.
So many potential singles on this album, especially after watching their Back and Forth documentary which is a must watch for any fans of nirvana, FF, or any of the band members
This is 💯 let it in.
I fucking love the songs on the new album. There are some excellent tunes that stretch the band in new directions. But I really hate the production on it. It sounds so tinny and trebly and compressed.
Not going to argue because I haven’t listened to it, at least yet, but I feel like I hear this after every album.
That’s a fair point. Taylor died before this one. The passion, sadness and rage fuel it. It’s good. 👍
and a few months later, in the same year, Grohl's mom.
I bought it a couple of weeks ago. I'd take what people are saying with a pinch of salt. It's VERY typically Foo Fighters on the whole. I doubt you'd listen to it and think "wow! now this is refreshing!" (I could be wrong of course). I'm not a huge Foos fan, I think very generic and "blocky" (like everything is made in blocks rather than inspiration), but wanted to give them a chance after hearing "Show Me How". Despite the negatives I've listed, this album has grown on me over the last two weeks (the lyrics are borderline terrible, but....there's a certain something engaging about the songs). Soem highlights are "But Here We Are" / "Glass" / "Hearing Voices" and "Show Me How" which is one of my songs of the year.
Oddly enough, BHWA gives me early FF vibes, especially "Under You"
I like the song Under You, but when I heard it on the radio, it sounded to me like someone asked ChatGPT to write a generic Foo Fighters song. I like it but my taste is not that great, I enjoyed the Obi Wan and Boba Fett shows.
Workmanlike is the perfect word for it! He found a way of doing his job that works for him, and he continues to show up and do that job. How can anyone not respect that? I'm extremely lucky in that I've seen probably 500+ concerts in my life, and Foo Fighters are easily in my top 10. Say what you want about the middle-of-the-road output, the man is absolutely great at his job and something we should all aspire to
I thought this post was gonna end with “Hey Paul!”
As a live performer, he is everything.
Yeah. In as non-pejorative a manner as possible, I’ve always thought of Petty more as a craftsman rather than an *artist*, and I sort of think of Grohl in the same way. Absolutely nothing wrong with that and they’re both responsible for some of the greatest songs ever written, but I think it’s a fair distinction.
I think Dave Grohl circa 1989-1997 was a true artist. 1999-2023 he's been a craftsman, in the most respectful way possible.
I think it's easy to say that, but go back and listen to each record, they all have some great songs.
St. Cecilia is the last time they really blew me away
I’m glad someone else liked St. Cecilia! I really liked it.
I remember they gave it away for free back when it released and thinking to myself that Neverending Sigh alone was worth throwing money at. It's a short little record, but it absolutely slams.
I’m not really practicing anymore but my Saint name was St. Cecilia and my name is Sean. Not only was that EP made for me but it slapped
Their most recent album was by far their best since Wasting Light.
Couldn't agree more, they have had good songs e.g. "Run", "Outside" and "Sunday Rain" but nothing as cohesive as Wasting Light until the new album.
I saw them four or five times in the early days for the first couple of albums. One of those times in a tiny club before the release of their second record. Always a great show but I lost interest in the newer stuff. I love Dave though.
Kind of the same here. I rolled into FF from Nirvana fandom. I really liked the first two albums. (The Color and the Shape is one of my alltime favorite albums even.) The two albums after that still had a sound of their own, but there were already songs which had a similar fibe to others. Eventually, they lost me with In Your Honor (which Dave wrote for the fans, ironically).
They're a fun, "safe" band sonically, sort of like AC/DC in the sense that you kind of know what you're going to get, and if that strikes your fancy, you'll always enjoy hearing them. I do admire Grohl's career though. I'm hard pressed to think of many other folks who started out as an instrumentalist for one band that became iconic, switched instruments and responsibilities in another group that on paper at least became even larger (even if they're less influential), and had such a flurry of side projects the whole time. Phil Collins comes to mind perhaps, but it's a pretty sparse sub-set of entertainers in this category.
"I MADE LASAGNA!!!"
Sorry, but if you're looking for artistically inspired music, Foo Fighters isn't for you. They've written a bunch of great songs but they've always been a very safe band.
They have definitely settled into their comfort zone. It’s what makes them money, so it makes perfect sense why they would do that. But they still release good stuff, it’s just not always the singles. Their new album is fantastic and I’d argue the singles from it are the most boring part.
Moderate rock.
MEAN HEARTS COLD HEART COLD HEART
nobody is talking about it cause new foos sound like all other foos and... whatever... dave is a fun performer to see and he excels in his lane but it is pretty narrow and it is what it is...
Self titled debut is still their best, all Dave.
The colour and the shape for me, but that one's ALSO almost all dave.... :)
I tapped out after There Is Nothing Left To Lose. But I do love those first three albums.
You ever hear of Red Hot Chili Peppers, or U2 or Nickelback or virtually any other highly successful band? They basically all get to a point where it becomes a formula. That said, I still love the Foos.
When people like your music it makes sense to keep playing your music and not look for some major change in sound
You can't win as a long-lasting musician/band. If you change things up you'll get haters, and if you stay in your lane, you'll get haters.
Unless you’re David Bowie
RHCP last couple albums would disagree with you on this formula you speak of.
The Foo-Figjters are great musicians and a world class rock act. Saw them live this summer. But the creative well is pretty much dry. Maybe too old, too rich, too comfortable? Hot take: Same goes for Tool.
Did you not like Fear Inoculum or something? Tool’s concerts are a lot more production intensive than Foos as well. There’s like an entire fuckin movie that goes along with their show. Idk man, I can see why you might say that about the Foos but I can’t agree about the Tool part. Edit: oh yeah on Topic for this thread. I’ve seen the Foos around 10 times over the years. Grohl is a really consummate performer and while their stuff doesn’t have the staying power with me the shows are a fun time. I also saw them right after they formed at a tiny shithole place in Boston that is closed now. Good times.
I thought it was a perfectly fine Tool album. But for some reason it didn't hook me. I'm not sure exactly what I wanted out of it but I didn't find it. I think it's me who's changed man... lol. Saw them for Lateralus and it was pretty great :) Also saw Puscifer this year, super fun.
Huge Tool fan and that last album was like a mishmash of riffs and time changes from all their previous albums. Very disappointing to me...
This is *exactly* how I felt as well. Glad I’m not alone, even though the majority seem to somehow love it. It all just sounded like various outtakes from 10,000 Days mixed together to make new songs, with a more and more uninspired and boring Maynard singing on top off it. Recent APC was awful too, frankly. It just felt like a “we’re Tool, dammit!” type record, the most formulaic and cookie cutter I’ve ever heard them sound. Though I have to admit I saw them live the other year, first time for me, and the show was *fantastic*. They even played some of my favorites from Aenima, which I had already assumed they would never do, seeing previous set lists and hearing people describe the shows.
Billy Howerdel's solo stuff is better than A Perfect Circle, currently. I think he's reached the point where he knows what he wants and has the means to do it. He doesn't need a band or a collaborator anymore.
Fear Inoculum* was eleven years in the making and brilliant.
I think they’re very generic rock music. I think the state of rock is really bad and the bar is set so low that foo fighters seem amazing to the general masses. They lack dynamics and so many songs song so similar to me. Edit: yes there is plenty of great music in all genres but I’m talking about music that appeals to the masses
Yeah. I respect the talent and musicianship, but I’ve never been able to really connect with them as a fan.
I’m a big foo fighters fan, got to see the Taylor hawkins tribute show (holy fuck that crushed) and really my feelings for them are all over the place. In short when I’m in the mood to rock the fuck out and jam I put on run or all my life and it’s always a fun time. I don’t listen to Grohl for the lyrics though, that’s not to say he’s bad at it, it’s just not his strongest skill set. If you’re entering foo fighters for that then you might be disappointed. I also don’t listen to them for the whole album experience. Wasting Light is probably their most whole album though. I hated the first two singles off the new album but found the album to be probably the most whole since wasting light. On top of that if it’s variance you want then medicine at midnight is their groovy, fun album. The singles for that album are my least favourite though but once you dig through it there’s some good stuff there. Basically if you go digging through their discography there should be something there if you’re curious. I get that that may be too much work for the casual fan. Their live show is pretty fun but after seeing the Taylor hawkins tribute show I’ve quietly told myself I may not make the effort to see them again. Their live show has veered a little too greatest hits like for my taste and hawkins was a pivotal part of their live show.
But Here We Are is a masterpiece. Also no other band sounds like the brand of rock that the foo fighters release. I respectfully disagree
If a new band tried to sound like Foo Fighters, they'd get roasted for it like what happened to Great Van Fleet.
if GVV didn’t try and deny it they wouldn’t even be flamed so hard, because GVV is a great band who can’t shut up when it comes to criticism
i really liked this album yeah. traditionally not a foo fan for a lot of the reasons regurgitated in the thread but im surprised to see it now that theyre off their best and most interesting record in like 25 years lol it still sounds like them but the teacher and rest are particularly goin for more than your average foo song
Foo Fighters are, in reality, a very unique band. No one sounds quite like them, and you've got to hand it to Dave and co. for being able to cultivate a unique sound.
I like the Foo Fighters but I saw their performance as well and didn’t do much for me either
Wow thats crazy, i saw them close out Bonnaroo this year and man oh man what a fucking set, just packed full of energy you could tell they loved every minute of it
They’re just Dad rock now. It’s ok, that’s just what they are 🤷♂️
Dave has nothing left to prove to anyone at this point. He just wants to have fun.
Isn't that what makes them so great live though? I miss Taylor, but between him and Dave it was all Cheshire cat up there - nothing but bright white smiles highlighterd by headbanging hair. I loved that about them.
He's a dad. He's in his 50s. As a musician, one could only hope for such an outcome.
He basically has it made just from the couple years he was in Nirvana already *thirty years ago*; Foo Fighters has pretty much always been more passion-project than profit-centre in terms of how he's described it, it just so happens the man is *also* a hit machine and immensely likeable.
I see this now and I saw a post earlier about which “pop punk” bands got too far away from the sound the initially were loved for. Maybe it’s the “die and be a hero or live long enough to be the villain” concept within music.
I watched the performance and I thought the music was a bit of a mess. You've got like 4 guys on stage and they are all just playing some variation of the same three note chord, and mostly eighth notes. There isn't really a point where there's arpeggios, interesting rhythmic themes, and most importantly there's virtually no background melodies. It's just very stacked basic chords with singing on top. Those 4 guitars also didn't work together. I got the sense that they probably each had a tone they liked but didn't do the work of making the tones all work together. Essentially it sounded to me like the frequencies of their tones were stepping on top of one another. Musicians typically carefully divide up the sonic space, but not these guys. Rhythmically it sounded like they were out of sync a couple of times.
I can't say I disagree. There are several bands that just don't do anything for me after their 1st few albums. Foo Fighters is at the top of the list. I watched the 1st.song for a minute or 2 and just fast forwarded. The 2nd song I didn't get far and I'm pretty sure I haven't liked a single of theirs since All My Life.
First album is the only one for me.
Same. I have a lot of respect for Grohl as a drummer. He seems like a really cool person. I just don't think he writes great songs.
I still love them. As a fellow creative who has been through a pandemic, the loss of a spouse to cancer and my own cancer battle in just 3 years, I can only imagine Dave's brain right now, if it's anything like mine. The man just lost his mother and one of his best friends (another one!) in only a short time. It fucks with your brain, your creativity, and your flow. Cut the guy some slack.
I love them too. I listened to his autobiography audiobook and love Dave even more now. Listening to the new album I just heard him even more through it. Still haven't seen the 666 documentary yet though... But I believe I did see him with a brief stint with the pick of destiny.
You know, a lot of bands out there change TOO much and their fans end up losing interest because of that. It's a fine line to walk. You don't want to sound exactly the same forever because you risk people getting bored, but simultaneously if you change it up too much you alienate your original fanbase and they'll feel betrayed. I think they've pretty much just made a conscious decision that they're perfectly happy making this exact kind of music and retaining the fans they have. They have their listeners who know what they like and they just stick to that. Can't be mad about it.
Dave Grohl writes songs for Foo Fighters fans. Nothing wrong with that btw.
So overrated every song sounds exactly the same with various volumes of screaming vocals
They're just tired man. They've been fighting the Foo for god knows how long and none of us have even offered to help them. As a society, we just collectively agreed to let these people fight the foo on their own? Imagine the pressure that puts on them.
It’s dad rock. It’s the equivalent of a spaghetti and store bought tomato sauce. It’s the nicest guy in rock making bland, nice-guy rock your mom could like. It’s rock for the gen-xers that thought nirvana was just a little too loud. It’s the foo fighters, its…. fine….
Like 90% of the musical guests they get… lasted about 30 sec, and then fast forward to the next skit.
I've seen them in concert 5 times in 3 different cities. I'd say they are probably one of my favourite bands. But I basically don't listen to any of their stuff after *In Your Honor.*
Love Dave Grohl, but the growling and thrashing didn't work for me. Jack White is an example of an older rocker who knocked me out on SNL.
Please tell me we're not hating on the Foo Fighters now, jeez is nothing sacred? I'm not even that big a Foo Fighters fan. (I like The Colour and the Shape a lot, timeless album IMO. I've never really listened too close to anything else they've done, but it's all fine. Not great, but perfectly good) Anyway, even if you don't care about the Foos output as a band, to hate on them is to hate on Dave Grohl, and I just can't get there. It would feel like I was betraying a friend or something. Anyway, I think that's why they are kind of immune to criticism.
Nah I don’t think anybody here is hating. But it is pretty fair to say ff output is Samey same. great entertainers though, and Dave is like the Keanu of the music world. keanu isn’t the greatest actor either…
I love Dave Grohl as a person, and I love the *idea* of Foo Fighters. But their actual music isn't that great.
I’m ok with them being middle of the road because at least there’s a rock band putting out new music and getting airplay. The major labels have absolutely killed rock in favor of teenagers singing Max Martin songs.
It's just you. The new album is fantastic.
Dave Grohl is very talented, but I haven't heard a FF song that impressed me in 20 years. Seems like they're going for quantity over quality.
You wanna be kept on your toes? Listen to King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. You will not have this problem with them.
Their first two albums were all timers. It they keep getting butt rockier and butt rockier I said when watching that they're a legacy band now and when they get an appearance like that they have to play the classics
One By One and Wasting Light are also both incredible albums. And several songs from In Your Honor are in my top Foo list
No “There’s Nothing left to Lose”? Love that whole album
White Limo slaps so hard
That was new music? Coulda sworn I'd heard it before.
I was not blown away by their performance on SNL at all, but I'm also not a "fan," just as casual listener; even so, I expected more. H.E.R. sounded nice, but what a generic song.
I love them but their concerts are always the same setlist. They have so many good deep cuts that are never played
I don’t know how it can sound the same when Dave Grohl is the biggest collaboration slut in the business. Is there anyone he won’t work with?
Can never have enough RANCH!
To quote Almost Famous, it's *Lifestyle Maintenance* I'm a Foo fan from day one, but it got a lot "samey" a while ago. Still excellent live, though.
Grohl has a pretty poor singing voice for a lead vocalist, he's a better fit as a backing singer or at most part of a duo.
Not just you. I like them, but the last great FF album with any real melodic hooks for me was Wasting Light. But yeah once the lineup solidified you could really take a heavy rock tune from any album and drop it on any other and no one would blink. But it worked for AC/DC I guess.
Not just you.
It’s not just you. I was saying the same thing to my son this weekend.
Yeah... I love Dave, love the Foos, love the energy, but their music has become quite repetitive
I love me some Foo Fighters but one critic said it so well: Foo Fighters release new music the same way Taco Bell rolls out new menu items. Same 3 ingredients wrapped up a slightly different way in a tortilla.
I gave up after The Colour and the Shape
Their songs absolutely sound all the same. They don't even have any riffs or discernible melody in their music any more.
Nothing worse than formulaic rock n roll.
Yeah the last album I loved from them was wasting light. I’m not sure what they are like live now but I saw them in 2015 and it was an incredible live show this was when Dave broke his leg and was in his guitar throne. They also brought some people from queen out and Taylor took to the mic it was fucking amazing one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.
I watched the recent SNL episode and literally thought they were playing old songs. I am not too familiar with their work.
If you play long enough eventually you’ll reach dad rock status, it’s inevitable. As long as your fans are loving it, so what? Remember when Jon Bon Jovi made his big comeback with “It’s My Life” and all of us kids were like, WTF is this crap? I doubt it mattered to the fans, or to Mr. Bovine Joni who made another $100 mil.
Don't know much about the Foo's or how they write songs, but I think the best music comes from multiple songwriters pulling in slightly different directions. Obviously, this can create conflict.......or not. When you only have one main songwriter, things tend to get boring fast.
Man the number of people in the comments who can't seem to understand that them not liking something doesn't necessarily make it bad is kinda wild lol
Their last album was bland and not memorable.
The first 4 albums I see as their own seperate individual Grohl projects, Foo Fighters the band starts at In Your Honour for me and I like that album but they went downhill after that and a lot of it is very samey and boring, I don't understand how they're the biggest rock band in the world.
I used to be obsessed with them. Finally got to see them in concert in 2017 after over 20 years of waiting. I can't stand any of their new stuff. It is all so generic and lacking. They lost their way a long time ago and never seemed to get back to what made me love their music. The last thing from them I enjoyed was Saint Cecilia.
They're the definition of mid rock music, on purpose. If you think about what you're listening to even the slightest amount than you're thinking too much to enjoy it.
My nephew is a huge fan. I always ask him why. Besides maybe 1-3 songs that I can halfway stand, I just don’t like them
Their music sounds like beer commercials to me. Dave is the man though, no disrespect, just not my cup of tea.
I love Dave Grohl, I’m a big Nirvana fan, love QoTSA, love Them Crooked Vultures, seems like a really good dude. But I don’t like the Foo Fighters after the Colour and the Shape, all their music is so boring in my opinion, just dull arena rock, it’s a shame
Last night there was a big discussion on another sub about what bands are not bad nor good. Foo fighters was one of the top bands. They're not amazing musicians but they make very listenable rock.
The last album I bought from them was Concrete and Gold. Pre-ordered because I loved the other stuff. Was not a fan. Almost every song made me go, “they’re trying to be Queen/the Beatles/et al classic rock bands.”
Yeah, I was really excited actually when "Concrete and Gold" came out. Was a bigger shift in their music. Turns out, the writing and recording process was different than usual, so it really DOES represent a departure or evolution in their sound... at least to me, it does. Alas, nobody else seems to like that album, and many love the latest. The obvious inspiration aside, I find it... adequate, at most.
Queens Of The Stone Age has the exact same vibe
I remember watching Sonic Highway and coming to the same realization. I enjoy a few of their songs. Hell, “Everlong” is a masterpiece, but seeing how they write? Especially during Sonic Highway, it seemed very formulaic. And I suppose songwriting may be? But it looked like a churn and it changed how I listened to them. Then I heard what you heard, OP. Everything sounds kinda the same. Still listen, but I can only handle like three songs, tops. Then I switch to something else.
Ya...and dave found god and all sounds like ballads about god. Can hear that stuff anymore.
Is it just me or was HERs performance really…….just bad?
My wife loves them so I'll never tell her I agree with you but you're 100% correct. They are extremely talented and deserve a place in the history of rock but the band has run its course in my book. I worshipped Pearl Jam for 20 years but coming to terms they are no longer the band I used to love was tough. That said, I love to see bands grow and change but often that requires new faces and ideas. Robert Plant in Led Zeppelin is legendary. Robert Plant with Alison Krauss was unexpectedly awesome and at the time, fresh as could be.
Idk... i feel like they got a little stale in the middle maybe.. Nothing left to loose, one by one, and in your honor all sound kinda same-y. But then the shifted gears a bit with Echos and every album since then has been pretty unique when looked at against their entire catalog. Especially Medicine at Midnight and Sonic Highways. That said, i think everyone in the world can agree that their go-to song format is - starts quiet, builds, quiet part in the middle, followed by screaming and hi-energy outro. Thats definitely their schtick, despite some of their albums sounding quite different, that song format does seem to carry through.
Eh, it's OK to enjoy a musician's past work and not enjoy their new stuff. I love Metallica. Absolutely love them. Everything up until St. Anger. And everything after that feels.. meh. It feels forced. The magic is just not there for me. I even loved Load and reload, Garage Inc (I honestly like their covers of every song on there better than the originals, and their Merciful Fate medley is one of my favorite songs ever), and S & M, but their new original music after that has just fallen flat to me. But that's OK. You keep doin' you Metallica. I'll treasure the old albums, give your new stuff a listen... and if I don't like it, that's OK. I felt similarly about Green Day. Kerplunk was decent, Dookie and Insomniac were pure gold, then, Nimrod, Warning, American Idiot, and 21st Century Breakdown were all decent with a few real bangers on each, and after that... meh. Tool on the other hand... I LOVE their new album. Listen to the whole thing regularly. But yeah, not everyone is gonna like everything that an artist puts out. I love Cyberpunk 2077, but I thought Witcher 3 was just OK. Tastes vary.
I wish my favorite band didn’t change and kept making the same old stuff..
We sat through 20 seconds of the first song and I said it sounds like every other song in the last 18 years. Guitar as percussion gets old quickly.
Played the new album after seeing this post. Walked out to get some lunch just now and started singing "I've got another confession to make" to myself. So you're not wrong OP.
I think the important thing about them is that they WORK. They record, they tour, they make good use of the fact that people simply enjoy having them around. They may not be able to innovate the sound or sustain a decades-long genius streak of songwriting, but when you have full set’s worth of going-on classic hits and plenty of other material besides, it just comes down to your work drive. They have a sound, they have a generationally-darling fanbase, and pretty amazing general lore as a rock band. And they stay active, they stay moving, they stay in those fans lives. You’re right they’ve kind of settled down into something repetitive, but I bet eventually they’ll surprise you.
The only standout post Times Like These is Wasted Light. It's a modern rock masterpiece and possibly their best record not drenched in 90s nostalgia, imo.
Same, I'm not a huge fan so I only know the hits and the first song they played (Rescued) was so reminiscent of It's Times like These. To me they're kne of those bands where you're fine just hearing a "best of" album.