Favorite Albums - The Colour and the Shape 2/5

Anyone who knows me at all knows that a Foo Fighters album had to make this list.  Here it is.

The Colour and the Shape was the band's sophomore album, but that's kind of not true because the first album was basically "the Dave Grohl music project."

Anyway, it's their best album.  What I like about it is that it sounds much more polished than the previous (self entitled) album, yet it doesn't lose that biting edge. 

Screamy rock anthems, like "Wind Up" and "Enough Space," make you want to go to jump up and down at a concert.  The simple, driving guitar riffs make these songs instantly memorable. 

The enormous hit "Everlong" is moody and dramatic, but in a different way from, say, a Meatloaf song.  Yes, there's the oft-talked about whispering, but it's followed by a kind of musical build up that is just plain rockin.  I don't find that any song on this album crosses the line into over-produced.

My favorite song on the album (today) is "My Poor Brain."  I absolutely love the quiet/loud/quiet/loud way it plays out.  Grohl almost whispers the refrain lyrics over a quiet, bouncy tune.  Comparatively, the chorus is a cacophony of drums, screaming, and distorted guitar.  I feel that it mimics the way people think, that kind of stop and go quality that life has, with cacophony equaling confusion.  Maybe that's just me.

(And the lyrics make me so happy.  I don't usually give a shit about lyrics, but I can't help but smile when he screams "Sometimes I wish that I could change / I can't save you from my poor braaain-aaain-aaain-aaain-OK!)

Although there are a lot of different types of songs on the album, from folksy ("See You") to straight guitar-driven rock ("Monkey Wrench") to even ballad ("Walking After You"), nothing on the album really feels out of place.  The only song I tend to skip is "February Stars," which, in my opinion, just kind of sits there with no life until three minutes have passed.

But then, I'm not a slow song kind of girl.