Foo Fighting: A preview of the upcoming Foo Fighters concert

In an age where popular music is becoming increasingly polarized between the catchy, navely sexual tunes of Britney and Christina and the unabashed rage of Eminem and Limp Bizkit, it is nice to know there are still a few rock bands out there to fill the middle ground. The Foo Fighters, under the direction of Dave Grohl, have managed to update their sound in tune with the times on each of their three releases. Their most recent album, There is Nothing Left to Lose, was a fusion of their trademark four-chord power punk with plaintive melodies and actual singing. "This is the album of which I am most proud," says Grohl. "It was turning 30 which did it. When you've been listening to punk and death metal since you were 13, you hit 30 and figure it might be nice not to blow out your throat. It might be nice to sing."

An alternative music veteran, Dave Grohl's story is perfect fodder for a "VH1: Behind the Music" special. (Indeed, GQ did a fashion spread with Grohl that parodied that much-maligned TV series.) Born in Ohio and raised in Virginia, Grohl splashed onto the Seattle grunge scene as the drummer for Nirvana on the group's legendary album, Nevermind, and became known as the "cheerful" member of the band. His mutually antagonistic relationship with Kurt Cobain's wife, Courtney Love, has been well documented. A year after Cobain's suicide, Grohl released the Foo Fighters' first album-a guitar-heavy jamfest for which he wrote all the material, played all the instruments, and sang. The band, named for the term for UFOs seen by American pilots flying over Europe during World War II, came into its own with 1997's softer, more intricate album The Colour and the Shape, which included the radio hit "Everlong." After becoming disgusted with the Los Angeles scene, the Foo Fighters, now consisting of Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel and drummer Taylor Hawkins, spent most of 1999 holed up at Grohl's house in suburban Virginia tweaking their sound. The results on There Is Nothing Left to Lose speak for themselves. Big abrasive choruses and guitar riffs still surround Grohl's plaintive melodies. But the emphasis has shifted to the melodies, especially on radio-ready tracks such as "Learn to Fly."

The Foo Fighters are content for now with channeling their anxieties into mad energy onstage, which explains why they're swinging through Massachusetts this coming week. Whether their sound will continue to evolve in the studio remains to be seen.

The Foo Fighters will play the Worcester Palladium Nov. 8.