Great band - awful album

A few years ago I read a review of Foo Fighters "In Your Honor", the album that was subtitled "One loud. One not so loud", but I would subtitle "Americans Can't Spell". The reviewer wrote of this epic double album just two phrases: One good. One not so good.

How is it that so many great bands can make shockingly bad albums. When paying bills happens because you sell albums, it's only normal that mediocre albums should occur, especially for that "difficult second album", for example Rage Against the Machine's "Evil Empire". However, some bands seem intent on making really really bad albums. What was up with Red Hot Chili Peppers' One Hot Minute, Green Day's Warning or U2's Zooropa. What were Garbage thinking when they made Beautiful Garbage?

The reason I'm writing this article is that last night I watched the amazing Bloc Party on Jools Holland. I know, I know, they're trying to do something different with this album, but really? This? Flux was something different. This is something awful.