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5 |
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Foo Fighters |
| Skin and Bones |
| RCA | 2006 | Album |
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Let me preface this review with a statement about myself: I am admittedly a huge Foo Fighters fan. I am a child of the 90s and have followed the Foo Fighters through their many musical endeavors and sonic growth. It is for this reason that it came as such a surprise to me when I wasn’t thrilled by their new stripped down live album, Skin and Bones. I was amazed to find that when the Foo Fighters are stripped of their loud rock sound and arena-worthy vocals, the band loses much of their appeal. Even classic songs that I have long loved like Everlong and My Hero appear paralyzed by the lack of their normal full electric sound.
The problem with Skin and Bones is that unlike a certain other unplugged album from a famous band (cough cough Nirvana), the Foo Fighters do nothing here to reveal something about themselves. Instead of exposing their music at its most raw and visceral, they demonstrate their lack of depth. It is almost as if they believe themselves that their songs cannot carry simply on their own due to the fact that they sporadically go electric or add a multitude of instruments, thereby taking away the unplugged quality. The best way to describe this album is “unplugged for posers”. Don’t get me wrong. I love Foo Fighters and always will. However, their inability to commit to either fully acoustic or just plain electric holds them back from giving a genuine unique experience.
This is not to say there aren’t any gems to enjoy on this album. The songs that work the best are the ones that are not their most famous or recognizable songs. The Nirvana rarity Marigold is probably the most enjoyable song on the album due to the great violin solo. The song Next Year is the only big hit of theirs to sound like it was aided by the new acoustic arrangement. Instead of sounding weak or empty, the song comes off as sounding full and rich due to a great accordion that was added to the arrangement, in addition to the full sound of the particular acoustic guitars the band uses on the song.
The sad thing about this album is how much it reveals the weakness of the Foo Fighters instead of showcasing their strengths. Despite how great they sound as a loud arena-style band, once acoustic, they show just how weak their music can be. Their classics come off as tedious and only a few songs show the depth we all hope the Foo Fighters have deep down. One can only long for the raucous loud electric sound of Foo Fighter’s past.
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| Wilhelm H. Jacobs the III |
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