In Defense Of - Foo Fighters

Let me set the scene: it’s the fall of 2015, and I, an eager young rock fan, have tickets to see the Foo Fighters tour in support of their eighth album Sonic Highways. A friend asks if I have weekend plans, and I excitedly reply that I’m going to go watch the Foos melt some faces Saturday night. His face morphs into one of mild disgust, and he says “Really? They’re like one step above Nickelback.” I’m shocked. Betrayed. Indignant. Who would dare compare the Foo Fighters to bland radio fodder like Nickelback?

As it turns out, quite a lot of people. The Foo Fighters may be one of the highest-profile rock n’ roll bands around, but to many, they’re just another staple of alt-rock radio. And those people have a point. The Foos have been cranking out radio-friendly rock songs for over 25 years now, so they have a pretty consistent presence on the airwaves. With so much middle-of-the-road material in circulation, it’s no leap of logic to write them off as a middle-of-the-road band.

But I don’t think that’s fair. The Foo Fighters haven’t always surpassed mediocrity, but they deserve some respect. Or at least some defense.

The Charges

1. Generic: The main, overarching criticism the Foos get. Most critics will concede the first few albums as quality, but generally write off the rest of the band’s discography as mediocre (or worse). It doesn’t help that Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl was previously the drummer for Nirvana. Comparison to Grohl’s previous band is inevitable, and as one of the definitive bands of the grunge era, Nirvana set an incredibly high bar for originality.

   It also doesn’t help that the Foo Fighters are just one of many bands to push grunge towards the mainstream. A million acts with heavy guitars and Cobain soundalikes popped up in the late 90s and early 00s, and many (like Nickelback) failed to justify their existence beyond a bland radio hit or two. The Foo Fighters might have a more legitimate claim to carry the grunge torch, but they get the same accusations of derivativeness as their contemporaries.

2. Bad Songwriting: The casual Foo Fighters non-fan might dismiss the band as generic, but the real haters tend to be even harsher. And not without cause. While the Foo Fighters generally bring some pretty solid riffs to each album, Dave Grohl’s songwriting can sometimes be a bit derivative. Throw in that they’ve stuck to the same hard rock formula for the last 20 years and you have a pretty solid case against the Foos’ songwriting abilities.

3. Dad Rock: The term “dad rock” is a popular way to describe bands like the Foo Fighters, both because of their fan base demographics and their own parental status. Like many dads, the Foo Fighters are set in their ways. They’ve been active for 25 years. Most of the band were active in other projects before that. And because the guys have been sticking to the same general blueprint their entire career, the music has gone a bit stale. As a result, a lot of would-be fans are turned off by this lack of artistic progression.

I have to admit, these are legitimate criticisms. But of course, I have plenty to say in response.

The Defense

1. It’s All About the Deep Cuts: The Foo Fighters have some bland songs, no doubt about it. But as is the case with most bands who get this type of criticism, the Foos have some gems in their discography. The self-titled debut and follow-up The Colour and the Shape are great listens cover-to-cover, and every album since has had at least one or two interesting songs on the tracklist. And even when the Foo Fighters are sticking to their arena rock comfort zone, they still make enjoyable music.

2. Look Beyond the Lyrics: Ok, so Dave Grohl isn’t the most profound lyricist ever. But he makes up for it with his monstrous drumming skills (matched only by the skills of official FF drummer Taylor Hawkins) and unique approach to riff writing. The average Foo Fighters song is for head-banging, not having a good cry. And by that metric, the Foos have written some seriously great songs (more on this below).

3. Dad Ain’t Bad: The Foo Fighters are absolutely dad rock, and they’re not afraid to admit it. The Foos know what they’re good at and what their fans want, so they stick to their guns. And if you’ve ever been to one of their shows, you know how well that’s worked out for them. It also helps that Dave has a healthy respect for modern music, which eases the inter-generational tension that sometimes exists between legacy acts and young fans. The Foo Fighters might play the music of a bygone era, but their appeal extends beyond their fellow fathers.

Closing Statements

I love the Foo Fighters. They were the first band I got really into that was still actively making music, and I have a lot of fond memories associated with their concerts and records. Hopefully, this article will make you think twice before turning that dial the next time “Learn to Fly” or “My Hero” comes on the radio. And if you need a bit more convincing, I’ve put together a few of my favorite Foo Fighters songs on the playlist below. Happy listening.

Lyle B.

A playlist featuring Foo Fighters

In Defense Of - Hair Metal

I love just about every subgenre of rock music, from punk rock to pop rock to psychedelic. But there’s one genre that I find hard to love: hair metal. And I’m not the only one. The hard rockin’, hard partyin’ music that thrived in the 1980s may be perfect for belting out at your local dive bar or ballgame, but it’s been met with plenty of critical contempt. So as to not beat a dead horse, I thought I’d give it my best defense.

The Charges

1. What Happened To The Music, Man?: Image and spectacle have always been part of rock n’ roll. Think about the onstage antics of Little Richard and Elvis, or the offstage antics of The Who and Led Zeppelin, or the larger-than-life glamour of David Bowie and Prince. Here’s the difference: all the artists I mentioned here were INCREDIBLE musicians who used their image to reinforce their legendary status. For many hair metal bands, image was the endgame. These guys were more concerned with rockstar cosplay than crafting long-lasting tunes.

2. Oh, That’s What Happened To The Music, Man: To their credit, hair bands took inspiration from more than just the rockstar aesthetic. Hair metal took the gritty, authentic hard rock of the 1970s and both overperformed and over-polished it. The classic example: Eddie Van Halen, of hair metal predecessor Van Halen, was a virtuosic guitarist who pushed the boundaries of technical playing more than just about anyone since Hendrix. But once hair bands got their hands on Eddie’s bag of tricks, shred-style guitar became a lot less interesting. Eddie was an innovator; hair metal guitarists were just really good copycats.

3. The Power Ballad: Yeah, you’re not going to see a defense for this one. If the standard hair metal rock number was cheesy, the power ballad was drenched in Velveeta and dusted with parmesan. Power ballads drifted too far from hair bands’ strengths and exposed their lyrical shortcomings. Sorry, Bret Michaels, I just don’t want to hear you wax poetic about romance.

If you couldn’t tell by now, I’m NOT a fan of hair metal, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any upsides to the genre.

The Defense

1. Hooks and Riffs, Baby: C’mon. You know you’ve belted out “Livin’ On A Prayer” at a karaoke bar at least once. Or maybe you’ve gotten amped up before the big game to the tune of “Kickstart My Heart.” I can criticize the aesthetic and overall quality of hair metal, but I can’t deny how successful many hair bands were at writing the “sticky” parts of songs. They perfected the art of the big chorus and the high-octane riff. And in moderation, hair metal songs can actually be pretty fun.

2. Genre-blending: I’ve written about this in reference to power pop, but my feelings apply to hair metal as well. Rock and pop are two of my favorite genres, and I’ve loved it almost every time they’ve met. Hair metal might not be my favorite iteration, but I can respect the combination of rock instrumentation and pop sensibilities. For the most part.

3. Grunge: I’m cheating a little here. Giving hair metal credit for inspiring another, better genre isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. But rock n’ roll tends to alternate between these over-the-top and stripped-back eras, so you could argue that grunge needed hair metal to exist before it could come along. And if that’s not a good enough defense, I’ll toss out a compromise: Guns N’ Roses. Their music had a lot in common with their hair metal predecessors, but with the raw, gritty edge that defined grunge.

I’m never going to be the guy putting bands like Ratt and Def Leppard on heavy rotation. But every once in a while, hair metal just hits the spot. Sometimes you just wanna rock.

Lyle B.

In Defense Of - Country Music

You’ve all heard it before: “I listen to everything except rap and country.” It’s the age-old adage of the music generalist. But as hip hop has become practically synonymous with pop music over the last decade or so, rap has all but dropped out of the expression. Country, however, stands firm as the most hated mainstream genre.

I can’t say I feel all that differently. Though I’ve voiced my appreciation for country music here and there, it’s not one of my favorite genres. However, I think it’s healthy to question your own beliefs every once in a while, and country gets more than its fair share of criticism. That’s why the first subject of this new article series, “In Defense Of,” is every music lover’s least loved genre: Country.

The Charges

1. Repetitive Lyrical Subject Matter: This is definitely country’s most heinous offense. Thousands of country songs have been written about drowning one’s sorrows in a few cans of dependable, American-made light beer. Thousands more have been written about grabbing one’s best gal and hopping into a dependable, American-made pickup truck. And God only knows how many songs have mentioned doing both. Country music has re-tread this same lyrical ground many times over, and for some it’s too off-putting to get past.

2. Twang: People hate Southern accents. I don’t know why, but they just do. That bias applies not only to innocent civilians, but to their musical representatives. One hint of twang in a singer’s voice and it doesn’t matter what they’re singing about, they’re done. Instrumentation can also be an issue. There are plenty of trebly-guitar haters out there, and the banjo is quite possibly the least popular instrument in the world (although the movie Deliverance is partially to blame for that).

3. Relationship With Women: If I were writing this article five years ago, I would’ve called it “In Defense Of - Bro Country.” Or maybe “God, I hate Bro Country.” But times have changed. Bro country, with its charming blend of classic tropes and blatant misogyny, may have dominated country music in the early 2010s, but the shtick got old. Instead, “boyfriend country,” popularized by artists such as Dan + Shay, dominates the airwaves. It’s certainly less objectifying than bro country, but women are still relegated to the role of object. Even after the death of bro country, women continue to play a supporting role in country music, whether that’s in the lyrics or the industry itself.

The evidence here is pretty damning. Country music has some flaws that even the most die-hard fan would have to at least acknowledge. So why give it a chance?

The Defense

1. Every Genre Can Be Repetitive: Drinking, materialistic pride, love-- these are universally appreciated parts of life (probably not in that order, but I’m not here to judge). Of course there’s a bunch of songs about them! Every genre from classic rock to bubblegum pop harps on these universal subjects, though the specifics might vary. Country certainly isn’t innocent of this excessive repetitiveness, but we should at least be consistent with our criticism.

2. The Twang Isn’t So Bad: To be honest, I don’t really have a logical defense for this. If you don’t like a certain timbre, I can’t argue that you actually do. But you should at least consider if your hatred of the twang is genuine, or if it’s just a result of a cultural bias.

3. Show Me a Genre Free of Sexism: Ok, maybe riot grrrl. But certainly not rock, or pop, or hip hop, or indie, or R&B, or EDM, or any other major genre within the scope of popular music. Again, this doesn’t excuse country music’s guilt, but it’s unfair to classify it as an issue unique to them. Seek out artists that don’t rely on sexist themes instead of writing off the genre as a whole.

Closing Arguments

Country music, like every other popular genre of music, is flawed. And while no amount of blog posts can change anyone’s inherent taste, I think that everyone (myself included) should have an open mind about country music. After all, some of the greatest songwriters of any genre have come from country. Artists like Dolly Parton, or Willie Nelson, or personal favorite Jason Isbell have all penned classic songs that transcend genre. And if you’ve completely written off country, adjacent genres like bluegrass, Americana, and southern rock might warm you up to country’s instrumentation and themes.

So, country haters— grab a beer, find a truck bed to post up in, and join me in giving country music another chance. Worst case scenario, we’ll just get more ammunition for our anti-country rants.

Lyle B.