Foo Fighters - Medicine At Midnight (Columbia Records)

It is times like these when you listen to the new Foo Fighters album that you can’t wait for live music to return. Packed into its 37 minutes the band over 9 tracks showcase their rock, pop and British influences - in that order, on what has to be one of rock’s biggest releases of the year.

Two tracks have already been released to whet fan’s appetite: No Son of Mine is an out and out rock song that has elements of Metallica and Motörhead - it really though is not typical of the rest of the album. Be prepared for some surprises along the way.

Making A Fire literally fires up the album, “it’s time to ignite” sings Dave Grohl, whilst surprisingly some female backing singers sound like they have just come off Joe Cocker’s version of With A Little Help From My Friends with the gospel like female vocals. You wouldn’t get that on your normal rock album.

Shame Shame is one of the tracks already released; the vocal phrasing goes back to David Bowie on Fame on a slow burner of a song.

The Bowie influence is back on the title track on Medicine At Midnight. Think of the Let’s Dance period in 1983 that Bowie went through and you will hear it loud and clear.

Waiting on A War benefits from co-producer Greg Kurstin (who wrote and produced tracks on Adele’s last album). A lush orchestration adds sympathetically to the song which eventually like war itself builds up and by the end of the song the pin of the grenade has been fully pulled out.

The aforementioned No Son of Mine comes with pounding drums and a heavy guitar riff that recalls Ace of Spades by Motörhead. If Lemmy could hear the track he would be impressed.

The riff on Holding Poison could be the cousin to My Sharona by The Knack whilst Chasing Birds is one of the slowest tracks on the album. The whimsical number is part Bee Gees and John Lennon’s Women hit. In complete contrast to the rest of the album it demonstrates that Foo Fighters can still strike a chord without being loud and brash.

Loves Dies Young as the guitars slice through the song like a cheese cutter through a nice Stilton. An uplifting end to what is unquestionably an album to brighten up any dreary February. “Please don’t take my breath away” Grohl sings, the album might not exactly do that and in parts nothing is new, but nobody rocks in 2021 as Foo Fighters and that in a Covid world is something we need more than ever.

I rate the album 4 out of 5