Foo Fighters was originally a solo-project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, coming to fruition with the release of the self-titled album Foo Fighters, on which Grohl played nearly all the instruments for each song. For the Foo Fighters’ second album, Grohl recruited other musicians for the band, with Pat Smear on guitar, Nate Mendel on bass, and William Goldsmith on drums. 

Due to Grohl’s previous fame with Nirvana, the album was largely expected to be grunge, but with this project, the band aspired to create true rock. One of the key aspects of the album is the constantly changing dynamics between and within songs. This can be seen in the intro track “Doll,” a slow, quiet ballad about fear, which after fading out into silence immediately transitions into the main, loud guitar riff of the second track, “Monkey Wrench,” as opposed to including a typical intro. The remainder of “Monkey Wrench”  completely embodies a high energy,  and is a memorable rock song through its drumming and vocals. 

The next song “Hey, Johnny Park!” is an example of changing dynamics within a song, beginning with a loud guitar riff that later in the song serves as the post chorus. This moves into a quiet, slow verse, eventually being broken by the guitar to transition into the loud chorus. 

This distinction between verses and choruses can be found all over the album, and especially in the fourth song, “My Poor Brain.” The focus placed on the choruses within the songs is not only accomplished through them getting louder but also through the vocal and guitar melodies becoming much more complex and memorable, making almost every chorus catchy. 

The fifth song, ‘Wind Up,” as discussed, adds complexity to its vocal melodies to make the chorus memorable. 

The following song, “Up in Arms”, juxtaposes the first and second half of the song as they are musically similar, but dynamics cause the first half to be a ballad while the second half is fast and loud.

“My Hero” is overall one of the most memorable compositions on the album throughout, especially the use of the drum rhythm changing during the bridge, and the guitar melody during the chorus and following lick. 

“See You” serves as a pleasant and easy-to-listen-to interlude after a string of several heavier songs, with the following, heavier track “Enough Space” getting the album back into action, especially through the shift in Grohl’s vocals. 

“February Stars” is another great composition from the album, due to the vocals and guitar bringing out the best of each other, and the chorus’s occurrence after significant build-up. 

The album’s eleventh song “Everlong,” is the most popular song off the album and one of the band’s most famous. This is understandable due to its catchy chorus and the enjoyability of the repetition of the guitar riff. 

“Walking After You” provides a final, slow ballad-type song utilizing acoustic guitar and soft vocals by Grohl to give the song a unique feeling within the album. 

The final song, “New Way Home”, concludes the album on a very heavy note, with a final use of changing dynamics with the song abruptly going silent and slowly building back up to reach its final form with some of the loudest vocals and drums on the album. At the very end, this moves into one of the few true guitar solos on the album as the album fades out. 

Overall, the album effectively uses changing dynamics in order to keep the listener engaged, it contains some of the most iconic rock songs of the 90s, and it allows Grohl’s musical vision to shine through.

Favorite three songs: “Hey, Johnny Park”, “My Hero”, and “February Stars”

Score: 9.5/10