3.5/5
A Spoonful Of Foos Makes The Medicine Go Down.
Check your medicine cabinet for this one. The Foo Fighters new home-recorded album 'Medicine At Midnight' is the perfect late night elixir for another year staying at home in quarantine, when locked down we don't even know what time it is anymore. Let alone what day. Well it's Friday the 12th February 2021, we're a week late when it comes to reviewing this album (you should have seen how much we missed our alarm on Weezer's new Beach Boys 'Pet Sounds' inspired amazing analogue 'OK Human' (a fortnight. Our take came in just a couple of hours ago...our bad) and the Foos have just made the shortlist for this years Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame alongside Iron Maiden, Jay-Z (feel old yet? And you thought you had just 99 Problems. Turns out father time is one, even if it isn't for his friend LeBron), Tina Turner, Kate "Mother####### saved my life" Bush and Carole King on the 50th anniversary of 'Tapestry' (about time). The Foo's have been "Dad rock" long enough than my hairline cares to remember. Putting a 'Monkey Wrench' that I don't want to be into my college glory days like that tequila and motorbike DUI put one into Springsteen's Superbowl spot for Jeep (keep it on...the message is more important, even the Boss sometimes doesn't work as well) like a spanner in the works, but they still make great music for your hard rock Nirvana like the return of Pat Smear. Even if the early 2000's days when we couldn't tell if them or the Chilli's were our heroes seems like a parallel universe away. Not two decades of cracked CD jewel cases and festival wristbands we still refuse to take off...bet you're glad you kept them on now.
Cancelled by incels trying to play punisher, the powerhouse Phoebe Bridgers (who had the best record of last year not sung by the sisterhood of Haim) has been receiving flak for whacking her guitar on the stage of SNL until it smashed. We have no idea why this is an issue when a incensed, incendiary Hendrix told us we sacrifice the things we love. A growling Grohl fully supports it, like I'm sure he does all (most) music and tedious links of segue (sorry). OK, maybe he's not K-Pop's biggest fan, but when Suga of South Korean mega group, pop juggernaut BTS dropped his mic (contrary to popular belief they're no use after that. No wonder Dave Chappelle sort of places them down these days) after the performance of the song of the same name no one said s###. Now you may say that's because everyone loves BTS. Not true. Sure ARMY members me and McConaughey do, but two "alright, alright, alright" dudes aren't everyone so don't be dazed and confused. Hip-Hop heads don't, even if these Korean popstars can rap like RM. Just check the Rap Monster's lyrics on their 'Dynamite' explosive, English language single that's had everyone singing along from the kids I teach, to my reluctant manager at work. "Ladies and gentlemen, I got the medicine. So you should keep ya eyes on the ball, huh." DAMN! What's this got to do with anything you ask? Well it has the word 'Medicine' in it doesn't it (eye roll)? Yeah it took me awhile to get here, but the same people who write off the lyrical talent and depth of BTS are also the type to write off these Fighters as has-Foos. Not true. One review writer who will remain nameless and shameless even said 'Medicine At Midnight' is music to go to the toilet to during Grohl gigs. Not cool. What kind of s### is that? I guess they really are taking the piss. Because the Foos may be reaching rocking chair status, but that same place Dave once nursed a broken leg whilst still playing (sorry...still slaying) still looks like a throne. The 9 track, Prodigy pink album with eyes on what almost looks like a Chilli Pepper logo or Red Hot 80's punk release rocks. A lot more than the pedestrian 'Concrete and Gold' of their last epic effort that fell a little short of classic status like the same colors of a 'Wasting Light'. Sure this 'Medicine' is got nothing on a woman's 'Tapestry', but neither has a 'Map Of The Soul'.
There really is nothing left to lose when 'The Colour and the Shape', 'One By One' and the LOUD and the not so loud sides 'In Your Honor', really are the best of them. Despite the 'Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace' of their best work and the 'Sonic Highways' of their musical tour across America. This tenth album may reside at the bottom half of their retrospective top ten, but when you've got a hard rock catalogue this classic, it's hardly a bad thing. It's a 'Shame, Shame' some can't see like hearing one of their best singles since 'DOA' for a band some have written off as dead in the water. "If you want to/I'll make you feel something real just to bother you/Now I got you/Under my thumb like a drug, I will smother you I'll be the one, be the moon, be the sun/Be the rain in your song, go and put that record on/If you want to I'll be the one, be the tongue that will swallow you," no one should refrain when they hear this one. Just like 'No Son Of Mine' rocking with anti-make America gre(h)at(e) again, anthemic lyrics like, "No son of mine will ever do/The work of villains, the will of fools/If you believe it, it must be true/No son of mine, no son of mine/No son of mine will ever need/To beg forgiveness, no wicked deed/Head full of evil, heart full of greed/No son of mine, no son of mine," for a stellar second single, no sophomore slump. And how about a big-three as you need all the soldiers and bandsmen for this growing one in this apocalypse? As 'Waiting On A War' to start the new year Grohl glows, "I've been waiting on a war since I was young/Since I was a little boy with a toy gun/Never really wanted to be number one/Just wanted to love everyone", with this rally cry for the power of the people, guitar and shoe string booted up as we all wait for the sky to fall. Trying to remake Bowie's 'Let's Dance' and non-disclosure recording in a location were stranger things happened as they dialled it up to 11 for an album that as Dave says sounds, "f###### weird," the result is a great mix, straight shot with no time for a chaser or tenth track on their tenth album. From the outstanding opener that sets the tone 'Making A Fire' to the last ode that tells us 'Love Dies Young', even if hopefully these guys do not. Fingers crossed like rocking bullhorns like they'll be able to roll up for their corona shut and locked down Van Tour. Whether 'Holding Poison', 'Chasing Birds', or 'Cloudspotting', this album rocks through it all. Even riffs from way back in the grungy basements of the Seattle salad days. Now that sounds like heaven, all praises to Kurt. You can even Ziggy dance to this one and the end of the world in stardust. Here's to it. Raise your glass of medicine, whatever's your poison. Like the albums title track we could all use some 'Medicine At Night', whether literal, sexual ('All My Life'), or musical. Or just peaceful. We need this now. This year too. Even when like the Foos, we still fighting. TIM DAVID HARVEY
Playlist Picks: 'Shame, Shame', 'No Son Of Mine', 'Love Dies Young'.
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