After waiting 2 years since 2005's double disc "In Your Honor" the Foo Fighters finally dropped a new album "Echoes, Silence, Patience, And Grace." Dave Grohl and company have done it again. This time around Dave is sporting long hair as in the early Foo days of over 10 years ago. I think its official Dave Grohl will be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice joining legends such as Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, John Lennon, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Paul Simon, Neil Young, David Crosby, Curtis Mayfield, Steven Stills, Sam Cooke, and Jimmy Page. Please note that I don't give lyrics as much weight as melody, musicality, composition, the overall feel of the song, and how memorable it is. I think music is universal and should be able to communicate without one understanding the language.
First Thoughts
I heard that Steely Dan was a big influence on this album, I'm not really familiar with their music outside of their more mainstream hits, but I suspect I know what parts are derived from them. There is definitely a common thread in many of the songs, especially the ones that start off soft. They start off acoustic like songs off of In Your Honor but then crescendo into hard rocking Foo Fighters style. Finally, there are many moments where a particular line gets repeated many times usually to bridge the movements in the song. This happens on at least 3 of the tracks, Let It Die, Come Alive, and But Honestly.
The Good
Track 1: "The Pretender" (4:29)
This is the first single off the new album. It came out in August and has a slick but good video. The Foos seem to have 2 kinds of videos, the serious artistic kind like "All My Life," and "Best Of You," and then the silly kind like "Breakout," and "Learn To Fly" (I wish they would stick to the serious kind). This song is typical kick ass Foo rock. It has a nice quiet, loud, quiet, really loud dynamic that is everywhere on this album. It opens in an A minor arpeggio that remenisint of Stairway To Heaven.
Track 2: "Let It Die" (4:05)
This is one of those songs of theirs that starts off soft, gentle, and sparse but then gets big and rockin. No surprise there since the Foo Fighters are influenced by his former band (Nirvana) and The Pixies (Gil Norton produced several Pixies albums and the Foo Fighters' The Color And The Shape and this album). This is one of the best tracks on this album and possible in the entire Foo Fighters library of great songs. Can't wait to see this song performed live.
Track 3: "Erase Replace" (4:12)
This is one of those straight rockin' numbers. It is another badass rock song that will be a crowd pleaser when played live. It is more sophisticated than other Foo songs in the same genre. The intro starts of complicated, the verse is simple, the chorus crescendos, then the bridge takes it to another place. The bridge, simple soft but textured and complex, is my favorite part of the song.
Track 4: "Long Road To Ruin" (3:44)
This is a radio friendly and at 3:44 running time radio ready pop rock song. The Foo Fighters can still write a radio friendly song to pay the bills. This is not one of my favorite songs on the album but it is notoriously catchy and good for what it is a pop rock song destined for radio. The record company probably begged them for a song like this, and they delivered.
Track 5: "Come Alive" (5:10)
This is one of those very transitiony songs and shows that the Foo's are growing as musicians and in crafting songs exploring new areas that they haven't before. It was only a matter of time. This song features a different tuning with the high e string tuned up a whole step to F#. Again in this song there is a lot of repetition of the line "come alive," but its used in such a good way that it only adds to the power of the song. Usually repeating any one line too much can kill a song, but they do it masterfully on at least 3 occasions this being the best example. This song clocks in at just over 5 minutes but it doesn't seem that long at all. Kudos to the Foo Fighters on yet another brilliant song.
Track 6: "Stranger Things Have Happened" (5:20)
This could have been on disc 2 of "In Your Honor," its a Foo ballad. A folky sound is all over this album but never sacrificing melody and attitude. This is a very nice acoustic number that is mostly just Dave with a bit of accompaniment here and there. Songs like this really make this album stand out to me. I don't see a video being made for this or it ever getting on the radio. However its gems like this that make checking out an album totally worth it.
Track 9: "The Ballad Of The Beaconsfield Miners" (2:32)
Dave Grohl wrote this instrumental piece for 2 miners in the Beaconsfield mine collapse in Tasmania, Australia, in 2006. A few days after the collapse, while the rescue was still being planned, one of the miners requested that an iPod be sent down to them, filled with Foo Fighters songs. Dave Grohl heard about this story, and wrote a note to them stating, "Though I'm halfway around the world right now, my heart is with you both, and I want you to know that when you come home, there's 2 tickets to any Foos show, anywhere, and 2 cold beers waiting for yous. Deal?" The men were safely rescued, and one took Dave up on his offer, at a Foo Fighters acoustic show in Sydney. Grohl played this piece for the meeting with the miner, and assured him it would be on the next Foo Fighters album. This all instrumental number is unlike anything the Foo Fighters have ever attempted and is actually a very nice guitar song. He is really stretching his ability on this one.
Track 10: "Statues" (3:47)
Here is another song I suspect is influenced by Steely Dan. This is a Foo Fighters song that grew out of the piano, a first for the Foos. This is definitely unlike anything they have done before and they do it very well. They are really crafting some beautiful songs on this album that are more rich and complex than anything they have done before. This is another standout for this album.
Track 10: "But Honestly" (3:47)
Yet another song I suspect is influenced by Steely Dan (I really should check them out). It starts off sounding a lot like the opening from Floaty off of their first album, then goes to a place all its own. Another of the songs that start off softly and then crescendos. This time it is done by repeating "I give it to you" to dramatic effect. Yet another brilliant song on this album. They are on a tear.
The So So
Track 7: "Cheer Up Boys, Your Makeup Is Running" (3:40)
This is a radio friendly and at 3:40 running time radio ready pop rock song. The Foo Fighters can still write a radio friendly song to pay the bills. This is not one of my favorite songs on the album but it is notoriously catchy and good for what it is a pop rock song destined for radio. The record company probably begged them for a song like this, and they delivered.
Track 12: "Home" (4:45)
This song is closes out the album oficially and contains a lyric which is what the album is named after, "echoes, silence, patience, and grace." Its a nice song with mostly piano but it's just not as good IMHO as the rest of the album which is pretty damn awesome. So in comparison its not as good, but it sure is better than "Tired of You."
Track 13: "Once And For All" (3:48)
This is a bonus track so I don't really count it that much, and I really haven't given it too many listens to fairly review it but it just does not compare to the other great songs on this album. I read other reviews that this has some good guitar riffs and drumming, but nothing really stood out to me.
The Bad
There was nothing on this album that I would say is bad. I wasn't crazy about some songs but they may grow on me.
Overall I would place this as their best album ever, ahead of their self titled debut album and In Your Honor which would have been a killer one CD album but still a very good double album. This album really shows their maturity as songwriters and performers. This album is for the fans who have been following them from over 10 years ago and are older, wiser, and have a more discerning ear. They have just raised the bar with this album and will be hard to top themselves. I wish they swapped out a few songs or left them as B-sides like "Cheer Up Boys," but the record company probably begged them to keep it in there. I could have done better with an old Foo song that never made it on a studio album like "Damn You, Damn Everyone" or even a cover song. Still kudos to Dave and the rest of the Foos for creating another brilliant album.On a scale of 1 to 100 (because a 5 star rating system is not fair).
Echoes, Silence, Patience, And Grace scores a biased 91 and is totally worth checking out if you are into rock and roll or the Foo Fighters. This is one of the best albums they have put out and will be listening to this record for years to come.
