Foo Fighters - Wasting Light   

Welcome back, Dave!

You know, it only seems like yesterday that I heard of Dave Grohl’s new band post Nirvana called the Foo Fighters. I also remember the hype behind the first single being aired and being blown away by the power of This is a Call as well as just how damn catchy and infectious it was. That was 16 years ago now. It would be a few years later before the band would receive radio acceptance. But it was clear that the foundations of Grohl’s ability to pen songs with melodies you’ll be humming almost immediately and riffs and dynamics that will grab you by the throat and get you bouncing around were cemented in place as the group went on to write countless singles that received mass airplay around the world.

So over the course of six albums, the band became huge beyond their wildest dreams as they went from musical strength to musical strength. After touring on 2007’s Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace and then releasing a best of that featured two new tracks in 2009, the band went on hiatus. The various members worked on other projects before reconnecting for album number seven titled Wasting Light.

The opening cut Burning Bridges signals one thing loud and clear from the very outset as Grohl screams ‘These are my famous last words’ – the Foo Fighters are back with their most energetic release in quite some time. In true Foo fashion, the dynamics of the song are top notch thanks to high energy verses and memorable choruses. Grohl and Co. have set the bar high right from the start. The good thing is that they don’t falter over the course of the remaining ten tracks that make up Wasting Light.

Alongside the lead single Rope, the likes of Arlandria, These Days and Back and Forth could all rustle for position as the next single from Wasting Light. In fact, there are only a couple of songs that wouldn’t qualify as singles. First is the super aggressive White Limo which throws back to the likes of Weenie Beenie and Wattershed (from their 1995 self titled debut), and really shows the band revisiting their long forgotten hard edged roots as Grohl screams relentlessly into the mic. The other features former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic on bass on the dark and moody I Should Have Known. It’s a different side of the band, particularly the reverb effect on Grohl’s vocals, and a nice change.

It’s no mean feat that the band have delivered a consistently strong album from beginning to end. But perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by this. Dave Grohl has shown in the past just how to deliver huge rock songs that ebb and flow through changing moods and tempos, all the while carried by a vocal melody that is instantly recognisable. The Foo’s bring back their harder edged sound and offer up something new as well on Wasting Light all in and amongst quality rock songs that we’ve come to expect from the group. What more could you ask for?

(Roswell Records/Sony Music Australia)

Added: June 11th 2011
Reviewer: Simon Milburn
Score:
Related Link: Official Website
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