NOT NIRVANA

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY

The power pop band Foo Fighters has a lot to live up to. The band's singer and chief songwriter, David Grohl, was the drummer for one of the most revered rock bands of the '90s, Nirvana. And although most of the songs on Foo Fighters' eponymous 1995 debut were about as distinctive as taxi cabs, the album did feature a few standout numbers, including the air guitar-worthy This Is a Call. Overall, it was promising.

Unfortunately, on their sophomore CD, The Colour and the Shape (Roswell/ Capitol), Foo Fighters never breaks out of the label "promising," which starts to sound more like a burden than a compliment the second time around. The songs on the new album dwell mainly on how relationships fall apart, a subject that's been dealt with in pop songs ever since pop songs began, and Foo Fighters fails to contribute any new insights. On one song, Up in Arms, Grohl actually sings, "I cannot forget you, girl." It's hard to believe he can offer up a toothless lyric like that after the passionate wordplay of Nirvana lyrics like, "Stay away/ God is gay." Sure, Kurt Cobain wrote Nirvana's lyrics, but Grohl should have paid attention.

Other songs on the album work better. Doll has a fleeting, folksy loveliness, Monkey Wrench throws effective pop punches, and Hey, Johnny Park! has an ingratiating melody. But none has much ambition beyond making a blunt impact. If you're going to spell "colour" with a u in your album title, shouldn't you at least try for pretentiousness?

--By Christopher John Farley