TRACK REVIEW: Foo Fighters - Shame Shame

TRACK REVIEW:

Foo Fighters

PHOTO CREDIT: Andreas Neumann

Shame Shame

9.3/10

The track, Shame Shame, is available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1G6-RUz3OA

The album, Medicine at Midnight, is available to pre-order via:

https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/foo-fighters/medicine-at-night

RELEASE DATE:

5th February, 2021

GENRE:

Alternative Rock

ORIGIN:

Seattle, U.S.A.

LABELS:

Roswell Records/RCA

TRACKLISTING:

Making a Fire

Shame Shame

Cloudspotter

Waiting on a War

Medicine at Midnight

No Son of Mine

Holding Poison

Chasing Birds

Love Dies Young

__________

THIS time out…

PHOTO CREDIT: Brantley Gutierrez

I am investigating one of the most iconic bands on the modern scene: Foo Fighters. Led by Dave Grohl, the former Nirvana man is, quite rightly, seen as one of the nicest men in Rock. 2020 was going to be a big and important year for the band as the eponymous debut was released in 1995 - and this would have been a chance to tour on its important anniversary. It has been a busy and packed past few years for Foo Fighters but, a while ago, they went on hiatus and it did seem like they might go their separate ways. 2017’s Concrete and Gold was a surprise return for the band. In an interview with Kerrang!, we hear some background behind chaos that almost brought Foo Fighters to a halt:

“In fact, the only time he switches from being the effervescent figure we all know and love is when chatter turns to what sparked his hasty return to Foo Fighters. Though he’s still light-hearted, the 48-year-old swiftly becomes more thoughtful, considered, and even quiet, reflecting on the band’s 2015 ‘indefinite hiatus’, which was consequently ended after just six months.

Foo Fighters’ ‘break’ was brought about after a whirlwind few years for the band – completed by drummer Taylor Hawkins, guitarists Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett, bassist Nate Mendel and keyboardist Rami Jaffee.

There was that leg break, when Dave tumbled off of a 12-foot-high stage during a show in Sweden in the summer of 2015. There was the heartwarming viral Learn To Fly video that brought the Foos to perform in front of thousands of super-loyal fans in Cesena, Italy. There was the free release of the band’s Saint Cecilia EP, dedicated to the victims of the Paris attacks in November of that year and described by the frontman as a reminder that “music is life”. Hell, Dave even squeezed in an appearance on The Muppet Show, partaking in a drum-off with Animal. And then, of course, there was Foo Fighters’ extensive, worldwide ‘Broken Leg Tour’. After all of that, you can’t blame a man for calling a time-out”.

I want to go on a bit of a tangent before homing in on Foo Fighters today because, when I talk about Dave Grohl, I cannot avoid thinking of Nirvana and his time with the band. Many musicians might feel uncomfortable or bored talking about their former band especially if, like Grohl, the cessation of Nirvana was prefaced by the suicide of their lead, Kurt Cobain. It is clear that Nirvana still influence bands today and, though they were only together less than a decade, they managed to leave a huge footprint on the music scene. I think a lot of people associate the Grunge band with a sense of gloominess and anger. When Dave Grohl spoke with GQ back in 2018, he addressed that misconception:

“Something that Grohl and I do talk about is the misinterpretation that his time in Nirvana was all just sorrow and wretchedness. “We weren’t miserable all the time,” he says, laughing. “I mean, Kurt never once came off stage and said, ‘Nice show,’ which was a little weird. Everyone needs a pep talk every once in a while, right?” Love echoes the sentiment that Nirvana did want to make it, including Kurt. “There’s this myth,” she explains candidly, “that Kurt didn’t want success. That is such bullshit. He worked his ass off to form the right band. Kurt loved that they had made it and moved [Michael] Jackson off the charts, but he never really got to enjoy it because the circus came to town to take our kid.

“I don’t think the band had a discord about success,” she continues. “Dave was welcoming of it, as was Kurt. Success is a nice warm bath of love from the outside world, but also one hell of a harsh teacher.”

“No one thought Nirvana would be a big deal,” Grohl continues. “No one. And anyone who says they did are full of shit. No one had a clue. So when everything went crazy, when the world started coming to us, when that whole wild ride started happening, it gave me a licence to never have to listen to anyone ever again. From that moment on, no one has ever told me what to do. No one. In 25 years, I have never had anyone ever say to me, ‘Oh, Dave you have to do this.’ Fuck you, motherfucker. I’m the president of my record company [Roswell Records]. I own my entire back catalogue. I get to say when we do this, when we do that. So if something needs doing, I’ll just do it myself. If I want to write a 25-minute instrumental, write all the music, play all the instruments, film it and then, guess what, maybe never even release it? I’ll do it. Just because I can. That’s why”.

Let’s think about Foo Fighters’ debut album because, as I said, it turned twenty-five this year and it was going to be a busy time for the band in terms of touring and getting these hugely important songs to the people. It is clear that the Seattle-formed band have changed a lot since 1995 because, in actuality, the first incarnation of Foo Fighters was Dave Grohl himself! I guess, after Nirvana a split, it would have been hard finding another group or even considering playing. Grohl had these songs and was keen to do something but, with no other musicians for a band and Grohl a reluctant frontman, it was an odd transition. Foo Fighters is a stunning debut album, and it revealed a songwriting talent many were not aware Grohl possessed – as Kurt Cobain was the songwriting force behind Nirvana. Even though Foo Fighters are a strong unit today, as this article outlines (they took excerpts from former NME New Music editor Matt Wilkinson's interview with Grohl from his Apple Music show), it was a strange change of role:

“Dave discussed changing his role from Nirvana drummer to becoming a frontman. He said, "Coming out and standing, I mean, f***, I'd been sitting on a drum stool for so long that, 'Oh my God. Now I have to stand in front of people.' And, 'How does my body move? What do I say in between songs?' These are the things that go through your head, and if you're not feeling it or you don't have that connection or confidence, it can be f***ing terrifying.

"And, I mean, it was for eight years or 10 years or so. It took a long time for me. I mean, now when I walk out on stage, it's just, like, 'Hey. Okay, let's go.' But a long time ago, even doing interviews, I was shy. I was just insecure, self-aware. I just felt like I wasn't used to being put in the forefront like that and I can not even watch interviews from those days back then."

Dave also touched on some of the pushback that he faced by launching the post-Nirvana project. He said, "There's some journalists that are just like, 'How dare you play music after Nirvana.' I'm, like, 'What am I supposed to do?'

"We tried really hard to do it right. Instead of jumping on a tour opening up for some massive arena band at the time, we thought, 'Okay, well let's get in the van and let's do it like we've always done it. Let's start the way we always started,' and that felt comfortable to us.

"And in doing any promotion or press, we didn't make a video right out of the gate, we tried to temper all of that stuff because it was scary in a way. I knew that I was walking the plank on this. I knew that I was going to be scrutinized and I knew that there was going to be comparisons and things like that”.

Looking at this year, and it has not gone as planned as Foo Fighters hoped – or anyone for that matter! Instead of celebrating a popular debut album at twenty-five, there has been this halt to live performance. With a new single, Shame Shame, out in the world, many have welcomed the incredible song; we are looking forward to the release of Foo Fighters’ forthcoming album, Medicine at Midnight. In the interview with Kerrang!, Grohl talked about the new album:

“How has 2020 been for you, Dave? Is there a sense of normalcy now returning with the release of Shame Shame, and the announcement of Medicine At Midnight?

“Well, I mean, we finished this album in February of this year. We were ready to hit the road, the artwork was done, the vinyl was being pressed… we were really looking forward to this year, and then we had hit pause and everybody went their separate ways. This is really the first break the band has taken in at least a decade; we’re always on the road, and we’re always making records, and always doing something. So, for it to grind to a halt was really strange. It proved to be really challenging, but also positive in a lot of ways. I think everybody finally found the time to do the things that we always wanted to do but were always too busy, and then as time went by we just decided, ‘Well, more than anything we want people to hear the new record. We can’t go out and play shows right now, but the music is worth hearing.’ So we regrouped and came up with a new plan – we had to rethink everything and adapt to what’s going on now”.

One thing that many have asked is what tone Medicine at Midnight is going to take. Shame Shame is not the definition of what the album will be but, it appears, we are going to get some party vibes and a different flavour to Concrete and Gold. Grohl spoke with NME, and he was asked about the tone and feel of the approaching record:

“What can you tell us about your mission statement for ‘Medicine At Midnight’?

“Since it’s our tenth record and 25th anniversary, we decided years ago that we wanted to do something that sounded fresh. We’ve made some many different types of album, we’ve done acoustic things, we’ve done punk-rock things, mid-tempo Americana type of things. We have a lot of albums to fall back on, so you just have to go with our gut feeling and I thought instead of making some mellow adult album, I thought ‘Fuck that, let’s make a party album’.”

What kind of party?

“A lot of our favourite records have these big grooves and riffs. I hate to call it a funk or dance record, but it’s more energetic in a lot of ways than anything we’ve ever done and it was really designed to be that Saturday night party album. It was written and sequenced in a way that you put on, and nine songs later you’ll just put it on again. Y’know, songs like ‘Making A Fire’. To me that’s rooted in Sly & The Family Stone grooves, but amplified in the way that the Foo Fighters do it”.

I guess the band had a different agenda and time plan regarding the album and getting it out there. They would have had this pre-pandemic period of planning and recording and then some time when it (the pandemic) hit that would have allowed them to focus on the recording more than they normally might have – as they didn’t have touring commitments and were restricted in that sense.

I want to go back to the interview from Kerrang!, as Grohl shed some light on the creation of the upcoming tenth studio album:

“What was the process of making Medicine At Midnight like?

“We recorded it in this fucked-up old house in my neighbourhood instead of using a studio, and every day we’d come in with a basic idea, like, ‘Okay, here’s the rhythm of the song,’ or, ‘Here’s the basic riff,’ and we would build on that. We didn’t necessarily all sit in a room, work out the song and then hit ‘record’; it was more like we were building it from the bottom up. And, seven months later, to then finally get into a room and finally play these songs as a band felt so fucking good – and really easy, to be honest. It’s one of the easiest albums for us to perform. There have been other records where we’ve recorded things that have been a bit more technically involved, and this one was just big guitars, big fuckin’ grooves and big fuckin’ choruses. As we were writing the songs I was really imagining, ‘Oh god, this is gonna be so good at the festival,’ or, ‘This is gonna be so good at the stadium.’ I really took the live show into consideration, and made these anthemic choruses that I imagined 100,000 people singing along to. Unfortunately that’s not gonna happen right now (laughs)”.

Given that you had all this extra time after finishing the LP in February, was there a temptation to go back and change anything – big or small?

“You know, there was absolutely no desire to change anything. When we finished the album, it was exactly what we wanted it to be. We started thinking about this album and writing it almost two years ago, and we recorded it in a way that we’d never done before; we didn’t sit in a room and rehearse and write these songs. They were all born from these demos that I had been doing where I had decided, ‘Okay, it’s our 10th record, we’ve been a band for 25 years, what do we do? Do we make some sleepy acoustic album as we ride off into the sunset of our career, or do we make a fucking party record?’ And our love of rock bands that make these upbeat, up-tempo, almost danceable records inspired us to make the album that we did. To me, there’s songs on the record that are rooted in Sly & The Family Stone, or David Bowie, or The Power Station, and things like that. We sort of relied on a lot of these really energetic references and influences to put this one together”.

Shame Shame is a tantalising cut from Medicine at Midnight, and I think it is a song that many of us need right now! I am going to move to reviewing soon enough, but I want to stay on the topic of the new album and its general tone, as lead singles don’t always represent what an album will sound like. Indeed, as this article highlights, the band have ventured into new territory and have taken influence from (perhaps) unlikely sources:

“Grohl and drummer Taylor Hawkins recently joined Spotify's Global Head of Rock, Allison Hagendorf, on the "Rock This" podcast to chat about the song. According to Grohl, the band started recording the new album around this time last year, and that's when they decided to switch things up a bit.

PHOTO CREDIT: Scarlet Bucket

"We wrote a lot of these songs to be played in stadiums — these big grooves, big choruses, big guitars. It was really sort of designed to be this big party album," the frontman described. "We had looked back on all the stuff we'd done over the last 25 years like, 'We've done this noisy, punk rock stuff. We've done gentle, acoustic stuff. We've done three-and-a-half, four-minute long radio-rock, singalong singles."

"But we've never done like that groove-oriented, sort of — Let's Dance [by] David Bowie, Power Station, the Cars, [Rolling Stones'] Tattoo You — those rock albums that would make you get up and move and dance," Grohl continued. "We haven't done that yet, so we went into the studio with that in mind... I don't even wanna say it's like our 'dance record,' but it's got grooves that we've never had before, so they kind of make you bounce around."

That isn't to say the entire album will sound like "Shame Shame," though.

"But because it's unlike anything we've ever done, I thought, 'Okay well this is a good place to start.' This should be the first thing people hear because it's indicative of this, sort of left turn that we've taken a little bit," Grohl explained of the decision to make the song their first single from this album”.

There are two more subjects I want to address before I get to talk about the new single and go deep with that. Foo Fighters have been going for over twenty-five years and, whilst they have inspired so many other bands, perhaps they are not quite as cutting and hip as other Rock bands out there. One cannot deny that Dave Grohl is a cool man, and many of their songs are anthems and classics. I think they have this perception of not being that cool and contemporary. In fact, as this SPIN interview from last year shows, previous Foo Fighters albums have ventured into older, less raucous areas of music:

“Grohl goes on to describe the recording of the band’s 1999 album There Is Nothing Left to Lose, claiming that while other bands were combining rap and metal in novel ways, he was trying to make an A.M. Gold record. “We’ve just never been hip or cool,” he said. “And I think that the reason why we’re still here is because we do kind of disconnect ourselves from the popular stuff that’s going on, but also because what the f*ck do we care. Like honestly, I just wanna play music. Having watched a lot of my friends not survive, I just want to be alive and play music and I really don’t give a f*ck if we’re cool or not.”

But are Foo Fighters really quote-unquote “dad rock”? Does being a dad and playing in a successful band necessarily put you in the same category as, say, Steely Dan, the Grateful Dead, or Fleetwood Mac? Or is there more there another layer of complexity to the genre that others are getting at with the term? Whatever you associate with your parents’ dusty record shelves, Grohl is definitely exemplar of a certain trajectory for growing old and going grey in the music industry, even as he continues to sell more vinyl records than ever before. Such is the mystery of “dad rock” and of Dave Grohl’s continued inescapability in the music press, where he’s continued to show his face alongside Ringo Starr and Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo”.

I normally put information regarding gigs near the end of a review but, as there is something particular I want to cover there, I will include it here. Many artists have adapted to the situation this year and played distanced gigs and virtual performances. It has not been ideal, but it has provided them with a chance of getting their music out there and connecting with fans – albeit it in a very different and new manner! Dave Grohl was asked by NME about that side of things:

“With the state of touring at the moment, would Foo Fighters ever play socially-distanced gigs?

“First and foremost, our main concern is that everyone is safe. Our band wouldn’t just jump out on the road for the sake of having an audience. Listen, we really do care for the people that come to see the band, so until we get to a place where everyone’s safe and sound, we’ll just have to adapt and figure out new ways to connect with the audience. Our band is rooted in live performance, more than anything. I love making records and everything that goes along with being in this band. But being on stage is really where we shine. Until that can happen safely, we’re just gonna have to fucking knock it out in the rehearsal room.”

That must be frustrating?

“To be honest, being away from it for six or seven months, not seeing the guys and having instruments in our laps, getting back to the rehearsal place and playing together to no one was just the best feeling in the world. When we get back and once it happens that we walk on stage to an audience, I have a feeling it’ll be the best show and the best feeling the band’s ever had”.

The video for Shame Shame is in black-and-white and quite atmospheric! It sees Grohl dragging his guitar up a hill as the wind whips his hair. If the video depicts Grohl looking quite defeated and bedraggled, the opening notes of Shame Shame are pretty tight and funky. The percussion rattles and rolls, whilst there is this raw groove from the guitar. That drum clatter and roll from Taylor Hawkins is looped, so you get this constant motion and sound that mixes with jabbing and punctuated guitar. In terms of sound, it is less direct and enflamed as some of Foo Fighters’ biggest anthems; instead, Shame Shame has this sense of creep and plod that is a great change of pace. It is funky and fun, but there is a slight darkness and weight that is reflected in the video – Grohl is seen with a woman as she runs her fingers through his hair and over his face as he then lies on the grass and then is seen running through some woodland. The lyrics are direct and to the core; impassioned and meaningful: “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”. Foo Fighters have dealt with passion and love before but, on many occasions, there is this huge energy and physicality coming from the band. Here, there is more tenderness and a more subtle sound. I actually like Foo Fighters in this mould, as we hear more funkiness and groove. That said, Grohl’s voice has a definite ache and sense of longing to it that combines powerfully against the composition. There is a range of emotions being put out there, and I have gone back to the song a few times to try and decide whether there is passion at the core or something more disturbed.

It does appear that, whilst there has been despair and a sense of loss from our hero, something (or someone) has come along and made that better: “Another splinter under the skin/Another season of loneliness/I found a reason and buried it/Beneath a mountain of emptiness”. The video is one of the most striking and cinematic Foo Fighters have created. Featuring just Grohl and Algerian-French actress, Sofia Boutella, the two tussle and are wrapped in one another. Grohl carries her on his back with his guitar dragging along, and there is a real sense of tussle and passion alongside storminess and something quite gothic and haunted. It is a beautiful video that perfectly accompanies the song. I do think there is a sense of passion and desire that runs through the song, but there is also some anger and uncertainty lingering. Maybe some will take some time to adjust to Foo Fighters’ shift in sound, as it is more subtle than a lot of their previous work. I like the band in a slinkier mode. Rather than there being this hectic and pummelling percussion, it rolls and loops to create this sort of mantra. Grohl and the rest of the band are less gnarly and frenetic than before, but this relative subtlety and evolution suits them well. As they have said in interviews, Shame Shame is not necessarily definitive of what Medicine at Midnight will sound like, but Foo Fighters will step into a different mantle for their new album – more party and kick than anger and anguish sounds good to me! Less of a grower, Shame Shame is a song that hits you straight away and grows stronger and more intriguing the more you play it. It is a great cut from a band who keep throwing up surprises after all these years! Next year, when they get on the road, it will be interesting to hear this song stack up against numbers from that eponymous 1995 debut.

There are a couple of lighter topics I want to end with. Go and pre-order Foo Fighters’ Medicine at Midnight (link at the top of this review) as it will be an early Christmas treat (even though the album is out next year). I came across an interesting Condé Nast Traveller article where Grohl talked about some of his favourite destinations. Many musicians play all around the world and, whilst it can seem like a tiring rigmarole, Grohl seems to love travel and seeing different places! Rather than Foo Fighters touring putting him off seeing more of the world, he does get a genuine thrill from it:

“What made you want to travel?

“‘Opening up the sleeve of an album and seeing pictures of musicians on the road, sitting out the back of their van with their equipment. Nobody was reaching for stardom, it was just a beautiful act of making music, and starving and bleeding and laying your fucking soul down every night. I think I was 13 or 14 when I realised that I don’t need much, but I need to get in the van and go and play. The fact that music has given me this ticket to the world blows my mind. It’s such a simple transaction. All I have to do is get up on stage and in return I get to see another beautiful city I’ve never been to.’

Your favourite music venue to perform at?

'The Metro in Chicago, the 9:30 Club and The Anthem in Washington, DC, the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. Oh shit – god, there’s so many of them. There was also The Astoria in London, which was one of my favourite places on earth to play’”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Scarlet Bucket

I will wrap up very soon but, over the past few months, one could not have missed the friendly drumming ‘battle’ that has ensued and escalated between Dave Grohl and the ten-year-old Nandi Bushell. She is based in the U.K. and, through a series of videos, the two have swapped drumming chops and faced up in these epic battles – Bushell, it seems, has triumphed in all of their encounters! It seems that, soon enough, the two might actually get to jam together. An article in the Los Angeles Times explains more:

“We’re not crying. You’re crying.

Three Everlong months after 10-year-old music prodigy Nandi Bushell challenged Dave Grohl to an epic drum battle, the Foo Fighters frontman has finally met his rock hero. On Monday afternoon, the little drummer girl from Ipswich, England, shared a sweet video of the two musicians chatting face-to-face for the first time.

“I get to meet a rock star! Oh, my God!” Grohl exclaimed to a speechless, beaming Bushell. “Oh, my gosh, it’s you! It’s so nice to meet you. ... I can’t believe I’m talking to you. I feel like I’m meeting a Beatle.”

During their 10-minute virtual conversation, Bushell offered Grohl some sage advice, such as “practice, practice, practice,” after the latter admitted he considered quitting the drums because he’ll “never be as good” as his young opponent. She also taught him how to let out one of her signature screams while performing.

“You just use all your energy and have lots of fun screaming,” Bushell said, shredding the air drums.

The instrumentalists’ friendship and social media showdown began in August when Bushell presented Grohl with a flawless cover of the Foo Fighters’ 1997 track “Everlong.” Bushell has since triumphed in every round so far of their drum-off, including their last exchange, which saw them write and perform original tribute songs for each other.

Now, it’s Grohl’s move, and the former Nirvana drummer hinted he still has a few more tricks up his sleeve.

“I had an idea for how to respond to your last song, but I haven’t done it yet,” he told Bushell during their video call. “It’s a really good idea. ... I don’t want to give it away.”

Toward the end of their highly anticipated meeting, Bushell enthusiastically accepted Grohl’s invitation to play the drums alongside him and the Foo Fighters once the COVID-19 pandemic is under control and global touring can safely resume.

“When the Foo Fighters finally come back to the U.K., do you think that you would get up onstage and jam with us?” Grohl asked. “But it has to be at the end of the set, because you’re gonna steal the show. It can’t be at the beginning of the set, because if you come out first, it’s just all downhill from there”.

Go and pre-order the Medicine at Midnight album and keep your eyes peeled regarding rescheduled gig dates. In fact, check out their official website if you want to go and see them play next year. It will be a rare chance for them to look back on their debut album in addition to showcasing material from their latest album. I am sure they will be playing quite a few festivals and, with some great new material under their belt, it (2021) will be a year where Foo Fighters can…