Foo Fighters
One by One (2002)

review by: Dustin Pangonis
Date: 11/6/02

Dave Grohl's had a lot on his plate lately. With the Queens of the Stone Age album and subsequent tour, mixing that Probot album that's never gonna come out, not to mention all the Nirvana craziness, he's been a busy boy. It's surprising he even had time to group the Foo guys together and put a new record out. Albums recorded under such tumultuous circumstances can be fiery and full of life, and show a new edge to a band. But they can also come off as tired and half-assed, barely worthwhile. So what's it gonna be for "One By One"?

That question is almost answered clearly by the time the first song is through. The lead single, "All My Life", worried me the first time I heard it on the radio. It's okay enough, offensive by no means, but it sounds like it was recorded at the last minute to go to radio. "Hey, guys, we forgot to record the single!" Sure, it's kind of catchy, but it's just the standard quiet verses-loud chorus silliness that's been done much better on, oh, the other Foo Fighters albums.

Things don't look up as the record continues, either. The hooks don't sink in after the first listen. Or the second. Or the third. Each song is essentially the same, as if the band booked studio time, and didn't have any songs or ideas, so just tossed some discarded riffs together into new tracks. Nearly every song does the afforementioned quiet-loud stuff, then hits with a chorus that features smooth vocals over neutered choppy guitars.

The songs are so samey that it takes me a few moments to realize that "Overdrive"'s intro isn't just an extension of the last song everytime I listen. Other tracks, like "Disenchanted Lullaby", only tease a quiet track before kicking into distortion. Even the songs that do manage hooks, like "Halo" and "Burn Away", don't break away from the formula enough to truly stand out.

"One By One" manages to lack character of any kind. It's easy to identify their past albums. The debut was the kind of indie rock, one-man show album that Dave recorded in his basement. "The Colour And The Shape" brought a full band into the mix, and was their glossiest album, with more radio-friendly songs and big rockers than any other Foo disc. "There Is Nothing Left To Lose" showed the Foos slowing down and mellowing out a bit, and delivering a nice, more pop-oriented album. But the only way I can think to describe "One By One" is "the new album".

"One By One"'s most notable problems lie in the little things, though. You can just tell the band isn't into it. Even the video for "All My Life", coming from one of the alternative rock's best and most creative music video bands, just features some guys with guitars playing a rock song. "Tired Of You" and "Come Back" are highlights for being good songs just as much as they are highlights for simply not sounding like everything else on the album.

That's not to say there aren't some positives. "Tired Of You", the first highlight track sitting right in the middle of the album, features Brian May on guitar, and is a legitimate quiet song, a change of pace. The afforementioned "Halo", though not a standout, is a damn fine song for what it is.

One thing you could always count on from the Foo Fighters was a great album closer, and "One By One" features the album's best track as a bookend. Clocking in at about eight minutes, "Come Back" delivers immediately with an epic feel and rousing chorus. After the first part of the song runs it course, distortion gives way to an acoustic bridge. The first reaction is to think "Great, we're just going to kick into the distorted chorus again." The song goes about it in the right way, though, giving a slow build, layering multiple guitars, and reintroducing some"oooh, oooh" backing vocals on a low level. We hit the loud stuff to serve the song this time, not just out of habit. And the song features, of all things, a fake ending plausible enough for me to buy into, before going into the chorus and fading out.

It's kind of tough to see a band you love release a dud album. Try as I might, I can't get into this record. It's not even a bad album, it just leaves the listener with no reason to come back. One great song isn't enough to carry an album. "One By One" is pleasant while it's on, but it will be a long time before I go to my CD rack for some Foo and choose it over their other albums.