Superstar sticksman and member of every band Josh Freese marches to the beat of his own drum on another collection of speedy, strange songs.
People love Josh Freese. Such is the affection for the prolific drummer, in fact, that when Foo Fighters announced they’d parted ways with him in May, many found the move unfathomable. Thankfully, it was all of about three seconds before Josh found employment again, returning to Nine Inch Nails (whose drummer Ilan Rubin in turn was recruited by Foo Fighters). And despite Josh’s disappointment with the Foos’ decision, he laughed it off, jokingly listing 10 potential reasons for his dismissal, including his refusal ‘to perform unless he was guaranteed a Ouija board and nunchuks after every show’.
That idiosyncratic nature and sense of humour is present in abundance on Just A Minute, Vol. 2, the sequel to 2021’s Volume 1. So, too, is the musical versatility that’s allowed Josh to slip into the style of the 500-odd records he’s worked on, including Guns N’ Roses, The Offspring, A Perfect Circle, Evanescence, Good Charlotte, Weezer and Avril Lavigne (though according to the title of one of the tracks here, I Didn’t Know I Recorded With Avril, Josh may not recall the experience of working with the latter).
For the uninitiated, this is an album made up of 25 one-minute songs, which in someone else’s hands might have been the musical equivalent of an artist hotboxing with their own farts. When it’s Josh Freese at the helm, however, it’s an absolute hoot. Firstly, we get flashes of the bands he’s worked with along the way, such as the billionaire-bashing Cybertruck LOL, surely inspired by his tenure with subversive art rockers Devo – and the pacy likes of God Gave Rock’n’Roll To You, Satan Wants It Back and Give Em Nuthin’, which owe a debt to his work with ludicrous Cali punks The Vandals.
There are autobiographical moments too, with Our Famous Drummer delivered with its tongue in its cheek, and there are plenty of laughs along the way. Plus, for the nerds out there, this is an interesting exercise in succinct songwriting, with no track overstaying its welcome should it not land as well.
Whatever your reason for checking out Just A Minute, Vol. 2, it’s a chameleonic rollercoaster from the drummer whose work you know, but whose mind you don’t… yet.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: The Vandals, NOFX, Weezer
Just A Minute, Vol. 2 is out now via Loosegroove
