There Is Nothing Left To Lose

11/02/1999 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Ken Barnes

Trends and personnel may come and go, but the Foo Fighters are becoming a band you can rely on. This third album further refines their classic rock-'n'-Grohl sound, a propulsive and tuneful brew also found on their first two albums and best exemplified here on first single "Learn To Fly." Its melodic irresistibility makes it the standout, but there's no shortage of similar pop-inflected rockers in their wheelhouse ("M.I.A.," "Gimme Stitches," "Next Year").

There's not a whole lot "modern" about the Foos' Lose. Echoes of the Who (on more than one cut, especially in the drumming), the Zombies ("Stacked Actors"), and the Beatles ("Next Year" and specifically an "Across The Universe" resonance on "Ain't It the Life") crop up, while "Aurora" and "Headwires" could actually be described as stately.

Despite the occasional harsh, grungeworthy passage and the unpleasantly Frampton-esque vocoder-guitar effect on "Generator," the Foo Fighters are crafting a timeless style that should see them well into the next decade.