FOO FIGHTERS One By One (RCA/BMG) Rating: NN Rating: NN
A “heavy rock” corollary to boy-band pap, where the phony smiles are turned upside down, the Foo Fighters’ One By One relies on the repetition of simple catchphrases, the synthetic gimmickry replaced by basic guitar riffs lifted from cut-out records by the Cult. Dave Grohl is still tempering the quiet whisper/angry screaming shtick with a good dose of wealthy-rock-star angst. Sadly, the thinly veiled Courtney Love rips that added so much entertainment value to past Foo Fighters work are gone — perhaps for good, now that Love has signed off on the mutually lucrative Nirvana reissue program.
