Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
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Free Music Notes for Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Free Music Review: "There's a world out there, don't you deny me"
Hit: 5 Stars
Bought this about a year ago when I first heard "The Pretender" on the radio. The CD was the best one I bought all year and I still play it often. Every track is awesome and there is a lot of depth and variety. There is nothing weak here. It was the first Foo Fighters CD I bought (I know, where have I been?). I knew some of their songs, of course, but never liked any enough to buy the albums until "The Pretender." Since then, I've bought "The Colour and the Shape" and "One By One." Both are great especially with the extra tracks (I'm a Gary Numan and Psychedelic Furs fan, so I was pleased to see them do covers by those artists), but "Echoes..." is still my favorite (the CD title reminds me of the Husker Du song "Charity, Chastity, Prudence, and Hope"). If you haven't bought this yet, what are you waiting for, extra tracks? This one is too good to wait.
"The Pretender"--The song that turned me into a Foo Fighters fan! Rocks and has a unique sound. The lyrics always makes me think of that Sesame Street tune "One of these things is not like the other..." I'm just cooky that way.
"Let It Die"--OK this is getting A LOT of play on the radio. Usually I get sick of songs that get so much play, but this one is so amazing I don't mind hearing it two or three times a day on the rock station. I really like the delicate guitar at the beginning, especially during the repeating "Why'd you have to go and let it die." Then, of course, it explodes! Vocals are excellent, too.
"Erase/Replace"--I like the whiny guitar opening and the high octane riff. Almost punk until it gets to the slower chorus.
"Long Road To Ruin"--Sounds a little more pop and mainstream. I thought it makes a good candidate for a single (which are not always the best songs on the albums, of course), and doing some research, discovered it was the second single. I haven't heard it on the radio which is a good thing because I could see myself getting sick of this one. Good song but probably my least favorite on the CD (besides the instrumental) because it lacks the edge of the other tracks.
"Come Alive"--Nice, relaxing, laid-back track that builds up tempo and explodes at the end. I really like this one.
"Stranger Things Have Happened"--Slow, acoustic number about loneliness.
"Cheer Up, Boys (Your Make Up Is Running)"--Drums kick on this one. The beginning sounds like the song is about to explode but it settles down and turns into a very accessible track along the lines of "Long Road To Ruin" but with an edge.
"Summer's Edge"--This one has kind of a country rock sound: "Sweet Virginia countryside, I will meet you there, bloody lips and cherry wine, moonshine in your hair."
"Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners"--Very impressive guitar work on this instrumental.
"Statues"--Great track! I like the laid-back feel with the piano and the drums that beef up the sound as well as the lyrics: "We're just ordinary people you and me, time will turn us into statues eventually."
"But, Honestly"--Mostly just vocals and strumming guitar until the other instruments kick in to the repeating "Give it to you." I like the scale guitar solo. This one is not as memorable as the others, probably because it is near the end.
"Home"--Quiet, slow song with soft vocals and piano built up with drum and orchestra. Pleasant way to end an excellent album.
Free Music Review: Best rock band of the past decade strikes again!
Hit: 5 Stars
It amazes me how many people think that this band has had weak offerings in recent years. The Foo Fighters' previous offerings in the 2000's--2002's "One By One" and 2005's "In Your Honor" to me just further strengthened this band's amazing discography. Well, for certain, this 2007 offering continues to add to the Foo legacy, cementing this band's place as the most consistent mainstream rock band of the "post-grunge" era.
How catchy is the lead track "The Pretender"? At least one reviewer compared it to 1997's "Monkey Wrench" as an incredibly accessible single, and I would agree. Subdued verses followed by explosive choruses, a Foo trademark, make this track an absolute winner. "Let it Die" starts slow and builds, to the point that Dave Grohl is screaming by the end of the track. "Erase/Replace" continues the early hard rock vein of the album. Then comes "Long Road to Ruin"--what a modern melodic masterpiece and true highlight of the album. "Come Alive" is a typical heavy Foo anthem--somewhat similar to "Come Back" on the "One By One" album but not as lengthy.
At this point, the album mellows out a bit more overall but continues to be utterly brilliant for the most part. How simple yet good is "Stranger Things Have Happened" with the acoustic guitar strumming leading the way? "Summer's End" is another modern melodic masterpiece with stunning melodies. "Home" is a surprisingly mellow piano ballad to end the album but to me (unlike others) is not boring--just another unique way for Dave Grohl to express himself musically. There are still rockers in the second half of the album as well--such as the amusingly-titled "Cheer Up Boys (Your Make Up is Running)" and the stronger anthemic "But Honestly"--another track that builds momemtum as it goes along.
Last time out with "In Your Honor", the Foos decided to divide up their sound variety into two disks--a "fast" one and a "slow" one. This time they decided to meld it all together into one cohesive masterpiece. For sure, they have succeeded in my book. Once again, the variety of sounds, tempos, and volumes of music on this album have made for an exciting and interesting rock album.
This band has proven to me once again that they can do little wrong. Strongly recommended for rock fans dating back to the '70s (like me) not to mention youngsters who just caught onto rock in the '90s. Many Nirvana fans (from where Dave of course originally came from) love this band, which makes sense. I, on the other hand, loved the guitar-based '70s rock and '80s melodic rock and was originally put off when "grunge" replaced my '80s guitar heros. None of that matters here. This band, and for sure this album, should appeal to most rock music fans of the past 30 years.
Free Music Review: Get you Headwires on, these guys ROCK
Hit: 5 Stars
It's been almost a year since E,S,P&G has run the Billboard Charts and more importantly, won the Grammy for Best Rock Album, and it remains one of my all time favorites. In my opinion, the Foo's are the best "Hard Rock" band presently in commercial existence. Track one, The Pretender is an instant favorite, in classic Foo Fighter's format, it's a quiet, demure beginning, crescendo-ing to the rocking, balls-out finish, a storyline to so many of their best songs. It won the Grammy for best rock PERFORMANCE, but it's not even my favorite song on the album.
I love the introspective, "Stranger Things Have Happened". It's the formula Grohl uses to succeed with an acoustic guitar and metronome song. We are forced to focus on the simplicity and deep introspection of his lyrical patterns. Very similar to the wonderful "Friend Of A Friend", a song he wrote early in his career while still with Nirvana. It's such a dramatic and underappreciated song. The sound of the metronome being wound and the subsequent ticking gets your attention, then comes the clean, deep acoustic guitar, carrying the simple rhythm into the lyrics. "I'm breathing in this silence like never before." We are lead into a likely wasted realationship with a disappointing outcome. "I can change, I can change, I can change, but who do u want me to be?" is the strongest line in the song, and is so symbolic of a guy trying to adapt to his mate's desires, but falling short. "I'm the same, I'm the same, I'm the same, what do you want me to be?" This solidifies the frustration felt by Dave, or the main character in this song, who has done nothing different, but apparently underperformed by the will of his suitor. That's my take on it.
"Long Road to Ruin" is my Ringtone, and I am probably responsible for selling at least 20 albums by this alone. It's most easily described as a CSNY song, but it's full of Genesis and other prog rock changes. Very refreshing and upbeat. I will end now, as I am sure that there will be others to come. I heard an interview with Dave when he said that he wanted to get out when he turned 30. I'm glad he has changed his mind. I actually like these guys better than Nirvana. Please don't kill me for that statement, I am just a bit overwhelmed with grunge and all of it's countless sound-alikes. Yes, Nirvana was a wonderful band and I was there for the whole 80's hair-band to grunge musical transformation, but this is the MOST serendipitous thing that has occurred in modern rock. Cobain's passing (Listen to "Too Cool Queenie by STP for their take on this), resulted in the formation of this amazing band. They are ever-changing, and are currently defining what AMERICAN ROCK IS in this new millenium. Tell me otherwise.
Free Music Review: Good News From the Foos
Hit: 5 Stars
In the mid-90's, I saw the Foo Fighters on the "Color and Shape" tour. At the time, I was particularly discouraged by the state of live music. I genuinely felt that the time for drums and guitars had ended, and that I should "gird my loins" for the next wave of musical expression, as previously exemplified by early `90s bands such as EMF and Jesus Jones.
Attending this show singlehandedly reinvigorated my belief in rock and roll. Eloquently enough, nearly a decade later I still find the Foos engaging. The Foo Fighters are a band that has inexplicably stood the test of time in the same way that U2 and Peter Gabriel did in the early 90s. While their reinvention may not be as obvious as their predecessors, it still situates them as one of the great and longlasting bands in the increasingly fickle musical landscape of today.
The beauty in the new Foo album lies in the way in which it navigates dynamics, songwriting, and energy. Even in its mellower moments, the "Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace" brims with a subdued tension that is only relieved by explosive energy. The way in which Grohl and his cohorts navigate the dichotomy between soothing lullaby and devastating intensity within song form (in the micro) and the overall album (in the macro) expresses a compositional maturity that belies the "rock" format within which they are categorized
For the careful listener, "Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace" is driven by subtle melodic polyphony. We're not talking counterpoint here, but the interplay between bass and lead vocal on "Erase/Replace" and rhythm guitar and vocal on "The Pretender" exhibit a certain compositional depth. To get much more complex would question the Foo's status as "rock" music.
And undeniably, The Foo Fighters' new album is, to its core, rock music. Who would have thought that, out of the ashes of the band that defined the `90s, a band that defines "rock" music through the strength of their vision would continue to be both relevant and eloquent? Perhaps the one criticism that can be leveled is their use of repetition and dynamic build-up for climax. Several songs on the album use this technique. However, there are also songs that are just loud, and others that are just, well, less loud (read: guitars are not distorted). Overall, it creates a relatively diverse acoustic environment.
The lowdown: Here's where melody, songwriting, and raw energy meet. I have had this album in my car for almost a month now, and I'm to the point of feeling guilty about removing it. I seem to enjoy it every time.
Free Music Review: Sing as their bones come marching in again
Hit: 5 Stars
You know what to expect from a Foo Fighters album: catchy riffs, belted out choruses, and some acoustic guitar here and there. Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace has all that and a little more.
1. The Pretender 10/10: This song was amazing the first time I heard it, but subsequent listens made me realize there really isn't more to it than I heard on the first listen. It's still a really great rock song, very radio friendly.
2. Let It Die 9/10: Following in the steps of "February Stars" and other Foo Fighters songs that start soft and end screaming, this song would be perfect if the lyrics weren't so repetitive.
3. Erase/Replace 6/10: I didn't like this one the first time I heard it. The verses aren't bad, but the chorus really doesn't work. It is starting to grow on me a bit though.
4. Long Road to Ruin 7/10: These days, subtle war songs work better than obvious ones, and this song works; I suppose.
5. Come Alive 8/10: The "Come Alive" constantly in the background toward the end help to ruin the potential this song had to be one of the Foo Fighters' best. The demo version on "The Pretender" single isn't as good as this album version, just in case you were planning on buying "The Pretender" single.
6. Stranger Things Have Happened 9/10: Gee, you think Dave likes to smoke? Though rather mellow, it's a very catchy song.
7. Cheer Up Boys (Your Make Up Is Running) 8/10: Makeup is one word. While we're at it, there should be a comma after "Patience" in the album's title, and no comma after "But" in "But, Honestly."
8. Summer's End 9/10: The classic rock influence is very obvious here. The lyrics have the same meaninglessness as the Foo Fighters' first album, but it's still an enjoyable song.
9. The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners 2/10: An acoustic instrumental, yeah... that's why you buy a Foo Fighters album.
10. Statues 5/10: It's an okay song, but it's just not my thing.
11. But, Honestly 6/10: It's an okay song, but it's nothing special.
12. Home 3/10: This one is way too artsy. Much like "Friend of a Friend" from the last album, it attempts to impose a greatness that it really doesn't have.
In general, this album has two weak points:
* Some of the songs just aren't very captivating, namely the last four
* Just about all of the songs are rather repetitive, but that's nothing new
It's still a really good album, and it's rather versatile, but it's not really a legitimate candidate for the Foo Fighters' best.