FOO FIGHTERS | Medicine At Midnight | Album Review

What better way to kick off the year in album reviewing than to go with one of rock's biggest household names, Foo Fighters? In the beginning portion of this year, as usual, there aren't a lot of major albums that rock fans are looking forward to. With "Medicine At Midnight", the prolific band's tenth album overall, this is easily one of the few highlights that fits that description. And it should be obvious, because Foo Fighters are seemingly the most omnipresent rock band in culture in general. Removing the Nirvana association completely out of the picture, Foo Fighters have made a name for themselves that has spanned over 25 years at this point and they've attained several massive hits and albums as well as Grammy nominations. The band is back at it again with "Medicine At Midnight", an album created in unpredictability. Produced by Greg Kurstin, who has worked with artists such as Beck, Paul McCartney, and Adele in the past, the album recording took place in a house that was decades old with strange things often transpiring, and the album itself was postponed from its original date due to the ongoing coronavirus situation. That's a stark contrast to the album's style and tone, which is much more upbeat and fun. That's not surprising because Foo Fighters is a band that sounds like they're having a good time, there are elements that separate this from other FF records, such as drum loops for example, and that's admirable especially for a band with the longevity that this band has. Like with most albums that come out, "Medicine At Midnight" rides on a lot of promise, so let's take a look at all nine of the tracks compiled for this recording and see how Foo Fighter's efforts benefitted them.

The first half of the album is comprised of "Making A Fire", lead single "Shame Shame", "Cloudspotter", "Waiting On A War", and the titular cut. All five of these tracks are good at showcasing that Foo Fighters, at this point in their career, is simply having a blast with their musical output and that they're passionate about everything they record and release. "Shame Shame", which is a rock radio hit (of course, it's a pre-release single from a tantamount rock band), is surprisingly a less bombastic choice for a song that has the goal of promoting the album and being the first song that many people hear from it. It's also a song that many people dislike for that reason. While I will say that "Shame Shame" isn't something that doesn't stick with you on first listen, and it's not a song that demands multiple listens, it's not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. It's definitely slower paced, but it's still the band having fun in the studio. What longtime fans of Foo Fighters and fans of their previous albums will gravitate towards more is tracks like "Making A Fire" and "Cloudspotter", both of which are endlessly upbeat and catchy. "Making A Fire" features David's daughter Violet Grohl as a backing vocalist, and her contributions to the track are definitely noteworthy and fit well with the sunny vibe of the song. "Waiting On A War" is another slower song, but there is more of a buildup here than on "Shame Shame", where the song starts in a slower way but then escalates to a higher peak. It's conceived well by the band and there is a lot of merit and weight to these lyrics. All of the above can be described about the title cut, which serves its purpose well and is a nice midway point for the album although it isn't the best this album has to offer. 

Second single "No Son Of Mine", "Holding Poison", "Chasing Birds", and "Love Dies Young" comprise the second half of the album, and the tone is not much different in this section of "Medicine At Midnight" than it was before. The difference here is that there are moments that do leave my memory quicker than on the first half. Where tracks like "Making A Fire" and "Waiting On A War" are definitely alluring in what they deliver, this half of the album does fall victim of containing material that isn't the best. It's not objectively bad or even underwhelming since they do belong on the album, but I don't feel like I'm going to return to the songs "No Son Of Mine" or "Chasing Birds" frequently. "Chasing Birds" is easily my least favorite song on the album. It's more acoustic-based, similar to "Waiting On A War", but this is where the writing really comes off as generic and overused. They could have come up with lyrics that are a bit more clever than what they did here. The other two tracks, "Holding Poison" and "Love Dies Young" are major highlights, however. "Holding Poison" is comparable to tracks in the first half, where there is a lot of upbeat and positive energy being used to a great effect. "Love Dies Young", the closing track, feels like a nice tribute to older styles of music, and that blend is smooth when put up against Foo Fighter's bright take on alternative rock. It's definitely an interesting and unique experience and sends off the album in the most appropriate way possible. "Love Dies Young" is definitely one of my choice cuts on the album for that reason. 

Foo Fighters' approach to their tenth studio album was to make an album that distanced people from the negativity in their lives in order to focus on something light hearted and vivid. Considering the decrepit depths that most of us sunk into last year in terms of the world around us and in our own personal lives, "Medicine At Midnight" fits its description as an album that shines a light on the fun and positive side of things. And that's well delivered coming from a band that lives on all of those values, and has been doing so for a good majority of their career. While many of these tracks are great and deliver on all of their promises, I cannot say that "Medicine To Midnight" is an album that will blow you away from front to back. Foo Fighters are not the kind of band that has that characteristic. Their music is simple, but vibrant and well played and it provides a temporary jolt of happiness for those who need it. "Medicine At Midnight" is no "The Colour And The Shape" or "One By One" or even a "Wasting Light", but on its own terms it works effectively with all of the elements that this band has taken advantage of in their past and in their present. Overall, the tenth project from the massively popular rock band is a vibrant and colorful album filled with tracks that vary stylistically but also connect well with the whole. Fans of Foo Fighters, casual or die-hard, will find a lot to enjoy with this new music and that feeling is doubled in a controversial and depressing time in our world. In short, even though it's no masterpiece, this album is worth embracing.

RATING: 7/10