Foo Fighters
There Is Nothing Left To Lose
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There Is Nothing Left to Lose is power pop gone good. The latest release from the Foo Fighters disproves the current modern rock theorem, which states that the worth of a CD is directly proportional to the number of turntable wick-wickies multiplied by the sum of the words rapped instead of sung.

It doesn’t take a calculator to figure out that the big 70s rock sound of Nothing Left is a welcome return to melodies, singing, emotive guitar, and honest song writing. Comfortable and cohesive, the album operates as a whole, rather than as a series of singles padded with throwaway tracks. For those who always wished Smashing Pumpkins would put out a whole album that sounded like "1979" off Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, direct your ears Foo-ward.

The disc is a love letter to classic 70s and 80s rock and roll, hearkening back to those eras in both technology and sound. The CD was recorded in Dave Grohl’s Northern Virginia basement studio (without the help of a major recording label, mind you) on equipment that would have been state-of-the-art in 1978. On "Generator," Dave dusts off the old talk box to add some Peter Frampton-esque guitar-voice lines. 1970s-style power ballads are mirrored on tunes like "Aurora", "Next Year," and the cowboy flavored "Ain’t it the Life." Lynyrd Skynyrd, Queen, and Yes CDs were in heavy rotation at Dave’s house—which bassist Nate Mendel, drummer Taylor Hawkins, and co-producer Adam Kasper moved into for the recording of the album.

On this third Foo Fighters release, Dave takes his time to deliver his lyrics with meaningful melodic structures, unlike his past efforts, marked by a limited vocal range. Calm, warm vocals paint old-fashioned love songs and romantic musings like "Aurora" and "M.I.A". Don’t worry, Grohl still screams with alterna-angst on songs like "Breakout" (about a relationship so volatile it causes acne) and "Stacked Actors."

"Stacked Actors," the album’s first track, threads aggressive screams and big guitar and drum climaxes through a pattern of slow grooves and gradual singing. In this apathetic ode to Hollywood, Dave takes on a combative tone for the chorus, as he fumes, "Stack dead actors, stacked to the rafters/ Line up the bastards all I want is the truth."

It’s been a life-after-grunge experience for many former Seattle rockers embarking on new projects. This former Nirvana drummer proved he could prosper as front man, as drummer, and, well, as everything. The Foo Fighters’ self-titled, first release, in 1995, was entirely performed by Dave-the-jack-of-all-trades. Despite the band’s ever changing cast of characters (the amicable splits and victims of artistic differences include guitarist Pat Smear, drummer William Goldsmith, and guitarist Franz Stahl), Nothing Left maintains sonic unity and impeccable musicianship. Dave plays guitar and sings on all eleven of the tracks this time and even gets behind the drum kit for five songs, a-la the debut Foo release.

The album is offered as an ECD, meaning computer-blessed fans get to see the "Learn to Fly" video—executed in true Foo parody tradition—and other extras like lyrics, pictures, web links, and Taylor the drummer sustaining a burp for a short video clip. Check out Dave as a pink-dressed, pig-tailed girl flirting with Dave as himself for an autograph in the "Learn to Fly" video.

With the title There Is Nothing Left To Lose, the band seems confident and self-assured that they have everything to gain from here on. And with good reason.

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