After the tension of Colour , the band regrouped in Virginia. The result is their most cohesive, "chill" record. It’s the sound of friends hanging out in a basement, accidentally writing a Grammy-winning album. Less punk, more harmony.
Everlong is untouchable, but My Hero and Monkey Wrench are only half the story. Side two— Up in Arms , My Poor Brain , February Stars —is the band’s strongest continuous run. 3. There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999) The Victory Lap (In Sweatpants)
Without this record, there is no modern rock radio as we know it. This Is a Call and Big Me are hits, but the album closer Exhausted proves Grohl understood shoegaze as well as he understood punk. 2. The Colour and the Shape (1997) The Breakup Album (And The Birth of a Band)
The Sky Is a Neighborhood is a weird, divisive single (church bells? children’s choir?). Run is a blast. But the album tries too hard to be "artistic." It’s the sound of a band with nothing left to prove, just messing around. 10. Medicine at Midnight (2021) The Dance Party foo fighters full albums
So, what’s your favorite deep cut? Drop it in the comments—and for the love of Taylor, spin “Aurora” tonight.
"Alone + Easy Target." Grohl wrote this about his teenage years in Virginia. It swings between paranoid verses and a sugar-rush chorus. It’s the blueprint for everything that came after.
Recorded entirely on analog tape in Grohl’s garage. No computers. No edits. The band invited back Krist Novoselic, Bob Mould, and even the legendary Butch Vig to produce. The result is a raw, immediate, perfect rock record. After the tension of Colour , the band regrouped in Virginia
Grohl called this "the Motorhead record produced by Phil Spector." It’s not. It’s actually a pop record with fuzz pedals. Guest spots from Justin Timberlake, Paul McCartney, and Boyz II Men.
Wasting Light (for the raw energy) or The Colour and the Shape (for the history). End with: But Here We Are (for the tears). Avoid: Nothing. Even their bad albums have one great song.
"Holding Poison." Finally, a riff. It’s the heaviest thing on the album, with a chaotic, QOTSA-style breakdown. It proves the band can still bite. Less punk, more harmony
Learn to Fly is the obvious single, but Generator and M.I.A. are masterclasses in restraint. This is the album you play on a Sunday morning drive. 4. One by One (2002) The Difficult Second Decade (Starts Here)
"Still" (Disc 2). A quiet, bluesy shuffle about resignation. Grohl whispers "I’m a river in a dry land." It’s unlike anything else in their catalog—spooky, lonely, and gorgeous.
"New Way Home." Hidden at the end of the album, this track is a six-minute anxiety attack set to music. It starts with a nervous acoustic strum, builds into a punk sprint, and ends with Grohl screaming "I’m not scared!" It’s the sonic equivalent of driving away from a burning house.
Shame Shame is a bizarre lead single (that tribal drum beat!). Making a Fire is the best song Prince never wrote. It’s not a classic, but it’s a fun detour. Then, tragedy struck. 11. But Here We Are (2023) The Requiem