In today\u2019s musical landscape, bedazzled, pants-less pop-stars are a dime a dozen, but rock has been on the decline since the 2000s. Enter the Foo Fighters \u2013 who knew that the rockingest album in a long while would be released by a bunch of dads in their 40s? (When performing on The Daily Show<\/i>, Jon Stewart remarked that backstage looked like \u201cromper room\u201d because of all the toddlers in tow with the band running around). <\/p>\n
In addition to being one of the coolest, most laidback guys, Dave Grohl is an electric frontman, as evidenced about twenty seconds into their latest album, Wasting Light,<\/i> when he launches out opener \u201cBridge Burning\u201d by screaming \u201cThese are my famous last words!\u201d over a thrashing guitar line. It\u2019s an amazing track, simultaneously tight and raw. There\u2019s an obvious sense of musicianship, too, with harmonies that owe debt to one of Grohl\u2019s avowed favorite bands, Queen. <\/p>\n
With a well-chosen opener that announces the Foos as a raucous, rioting band, Wasting Light <\/i>keeps piling on the hits. \u201cRope\u201d is the lead single of the disc, and it thrives on its jittery flashes of guitar and Grohl switching between yowling and rafter-reaching choruses. This must be spectacular live as well.<\/p>\n
This album was recorded in analog in Dave Grohl\u2019s basement as a harkening back to classic rock acts, and the purity of the sound quality is evident. Plus, this is the first appearance of Krist Noveselic on bass since he and Grohl played together in Nirvana way back when. It\u2019s amazing to think that the Foos have been together since 1994, and this disc hits a new peak that their last couple of albums missed (2005\u2019s overlong double-disc In Your Honor <\/i>and 2007\u2019s forgotten Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace<\/i>). <\/p>\n
One of the Foo\u2019s strengths is that they can modulate their bone-cracking rockers with more lovelorn cuts as well (\u201cEverlong\u201d is perhaps one of the most masculine yet tender ballads ever recorded). Here, that torch is carried by \u201cDear Rosemary\u201d and, to an extent, \u201cThese Days.\u201d There\u2019s a pop quality to \u201cRosemary,\u201d but it still digs its teeth into you with punky drums and soaring harmonies. Meanwhile, \u201cDays\u201d has a restrained, almost country tinge to it, and the analog makes everything sound incredibly crisp. Penultimate cut \u201cI Should Have Known\u201d is gorgeous, lamenting heartbreak and somehow sounding absolutely masculine as Grohl wails, \u201cI can\u2019t forgive you yet.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cArlandia,\u201d one of the songs played on their Daily Show appearance, is made for live venues, though it translates pretty great on disc. Coiled tight at its intro with staircases of guitar riffs, the track positively explodes about a minute in, dense with electric metal and the strangely lovely growl of Grohl\u2019s voice. <\/p>\n
In an era when albums are often just vehicles for top-charting singles, Wasting Light <\/i>is a disc that begs you to listen to it all the way through, and it\u2019s no real chore when things are this upbeat and anthemic. There\u2019s no real shift in the Foo Fighters\u2019 sound, but really, it\u2019s not necessary when the material here is this fleshed-out and rich. The beats are dense and masculine, but the harmonies and Grohl\u2019s lyrics inject this testosterone-bash with a hint of the heartfelt. For those about to rock, Wasting Light <\/i>will help you do so \u2013 it\u2019s their best offering since 1999\u2019s There Is Nothing Left To Lose<\/i>. And check the Foos out live if you can, it\u2019s bound to be an amazing show. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":30642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"artist":[5859],"rating":[5613],"class_list":["post-42317","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-foo-fighters","rating-rating-a-minus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42317"},{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=42317"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=42317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}