Album Review: Foo Fighters - 'But Here We Are'
The perfect demonstration of the healing powers of music, Foo Fighters return with their latest album ‘But Here We Are’.
With 11 studio albums now under their belt, Foo Fighters have cemented themselves among the greatest rock bands of all time. The new record, ‘But Here We Are’, was always going to be a difficult one for the group to make, since it was the first since the passing of the iconic Taylor Hawkins. A man who took the band to new heights with his expert drumming. The group have paid tribute to their late friend in the best way possible: with a sublime record that he would have been so proud of.
It opens in typical Foo Fighters’ fashion. ‘Rescued’ is the track that kicks off proceedings. After an opening guitar riff, we are thrown into a full-band demonstration of what the band do. Frontman Dave Grohl’s lyrics on this one seem of real importance and sincerity. He sings about waiting to be rescued, and the group match the words with real suspenseful sections of fast drumming and loud guitar playing. The track is the perfect opener, to say the least. It continuously builds up, right to the very last seconds of the track, and there is a real feel of collectivity. Both in the way that the band work together, and the lyrics. Grohl moves from “I’m just waiting to be rescued’, to “We’re all just waiting to be rescued’. With that, the album is under way.
Foo Fighters had released a strong quartet of songs from the record before it was released in its entirety. The opening number ‘Rescued’ was one of these, as was the second track of the record. ‘Under You’ was ecstatically received by fans of the group. It is a complete lesson on how to write a rock song. Grohl sings meaningful words, words that people can really get behind. The chorus seems to be the outpour of how Grohl and the band have perhaps felt in the days since they lost their friend. The frontman sings “There are times that I need someone, there are times that I need no one, sometimes I just don’t know what to do”. The sincerity of these words is undeniable, and they are really going to resonate with thousands all over the globe. Foo Fighters are reaching out to everyone individually with this one, or so it feels. ‘Under You’ is a personal and thoughtful track, with a strong dose of Foo Fighters style added to it. Accompanying these thoughtful words is a fast-paced, loud and simply epic band performance.
‘Hearing Voices’ follows this feel of emotion, and it is a brilliant track to lead into the title number. ‘But Here We Are’ displays the ability of Foo Fighters to execute a range of musical styles effortlessly. It’s slower in its delivery but is equally superb. This one is set to be a song that fans will lose themselves to at live shows. Its chorus is so strong and will be belted out by fans in unison. “I gave you my heart, but here we are, saved you my heart, but here we are”. Grohl’s delivery of these words is impossible to imitate. He means what he is singing, and his intonation tells us this. There is real and burning emotion being let out of the frontman.
The uniqueness of the record is that it is so personal and so real. Grohl and his band have written songs about a tragic loss, and they have done so in extremely professional fashion. ‘The Glass’, in particular is an instance of expert song writing about the awful passing of Taylor Hawkins. The lyrics about being left to live without a person that they love are so sad, but brilliantly written and performed.
The entire album is a masterpiece, but some songs-of course- stand out even more than others. ‘The Teacher’ is one of those. Being a ten-minute-track, it was always going to attract attention. It’s an epic, multi-emotional feeling song that takes listeners on a musical journey through how the group have been and are still feeling after their loss. It ranges from slow, sad sections, to fast and aggressive moments, before slowing back done once again. It really does feel like a track that truly mirrors how people feel after the loss of loved ones. It is simply epic in its execution, though. It’s ten minutes that fly by and it is just a perfect track.
The record closes out with the track ‘Rest’ which begins as a slow, acoustic number, before bursting out as a fuzzy and extremely emotional number. It is the perfect ending for a perfect record.
‘But Here We Are’ is a masterpiece. It is a lesson in how to write rock music, and it’s also the best tribute to Taylor Hawkins that there ever could be.
Words by Matthew Caslin
