Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

Foo Fighters are back with new album Wasting Light, their first album release in four years. After being fortunate enough to see the documentary, which talked about the band’s formation and their rollercoaster ride of life during it, it also showed how this new effort was produced. It was created using the old of fashioned analogue method, and it was produced with the help of Butch Vig, who with Dave Grohl, produced Nirvana’s worldwide hit album of the 90s, Nevermind. Because of this documentary, I felt a lot more hyped up and desperate to hear what new material the Foo’s would create.

 

The Foo’s are known for beginning albums with fantastic openers and Wasting Light is no exception. Bridge Burning starts off with a steady increase in tempo and volume, before Taylor Hawkins comes in with a flurry of drums and finally Dave Grohl bulks up the intensity of the track with this harsh screams that already indicate that this album is going to be loud, and is easily going to be their heaviest. There are so many riffs involved that prevents it from becoming stale, which is what an opening track should be like, infact Bridge Burning is rather like The Pretender from last album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, the guitars tear the song apart and the drums and bass create a catchy foundation. This song shows just how well the harmonisation of the three guitars featured on Wasting Light works, the addition of former Foo’s member Pat Smear creates an added level of distortion and volume overall.

Rope is the lead single, and it fits the purpose of being a song for the radio. It has a very accessible sound, and the chorus in particular is very catchy, which is what should be expected from the Foo Fighter’s because of their already huge amount of radio classics, and Rope is just another song that can join to the pile of these mainstream classics, featuring the likes of My Hero, Everlong and All My Life.

This album is filled to the brink with memorable riffs and hooks, which allows for it to be played multiple times and still to be enjoyed. Grohl’s vocals are also top notch, his mix of screaming and sentimental vocals add a touch of variety to Wasting Light. The tracks also bare a mix of loud, rugged rock anthems, as the three guitars build up a huge amount of energy, while there are softer tracks such as These Days which are also a nice touch as it prevents the album from sounding too similar.

The lyrics however to not seem to contain much of Grohl’s personal touch to them, the topics and some of the words used throughout the album are a little clichéd, notable points would be the topic of burning bridges, and lyrics such as “You and what army?” “One of these days” and “*blank blank* go away, come again some other day” just seem to add a hint of generic to them.

However, closing track Walk sounds like a true Foo Fighters song to me, as the lyrics talk about starting over, getting back on that horse, getting back to your feet, and it sounds like a very honest and personal song from Grohl. It features a great hook throughout it and is a general feel good, inspirational track and a brilliant way to end an otherwise aggressive album.

Wasting Light is a brilliant return to form for the Foo Fighters, it shows that even after more subtle, acoustic releases such as In Your Honour and Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, the Foo’s still retain their rock and roll roots. It feels like the end of a cycle for the band, as it has some similarities with their self titled effort, infact White Limo sounds a lot like Weenie Beenie off the debut. This record is a lot of fun, and it’s great to see the band revitalised, and this album has been and will continue to be played throughout 2011.

8/10