Dave Grohl took his punk riffs and traded them in at a Los Angeles pawnshop for acoustic melodies and jam band riffs.
Echoes, Silence, Patience ‘ Grace is the Foo Fighters’ sixth album release and fits the Foo formula of eclectic songs riding the coattails of the single.
First, this album was constructed completely out of order, which ruins the flow from song to song. When examined individually, it’s clear that the Foo Fighters haven’t lost their touch; they’ve just made a different kind of album.
The single "The Pretender" kicks off the album, which is never a good sign. Other than "Erase/Replace," the album is devoid of heavy-hitting Foo rock sounds from recent years.
So what’s left? A collection of songs that is reminiscent of earlier Foo sensations and songs that have nothing to do with anything that sounds like the Foo Fighters.
"Let it Die" is the second song and should have started off the record. The song is a gradual progression from subtle melodies to steady rock that breaks the building tension at the precise moment.
Tracks such as "Long Road to Ruin," "Cheer Up, Boys" and "But, Honestly" summon the power and essence of earlier anthems such as "Hero" and "Learn to Fly."
One song that breaks away from this, but that everyone can get behind, is "Summer’s End." The song starts out with a hard blues riff and then breaks into a bouncy chorus that is layered with colorful harmonies.
Obviously songs like these have the potential to receive heavy airplay, while the rest of the album shows the growth of the band into different sounds.
"Come Alive" and "Stranger Things Have Happened" show the dark, morose tones that couple with the honesty that Grohl’s voice emits.
It’s easy to understand why the band decided to leave these songs acoustic, instead of molding them into power rock songs.
But three songs still have me questioning how they ended up on the album.
"Ballad of the Beaconsfield Mine" is an acoustic instrumental tribute to a miner in Tasmania that requested an iPod full of Foo songs when he was trapped in a mine collapse. I understand why this song is on the album, but it isn’t terribly imaginative, following the same basic riff over and over.
"Statues" sounds like something almost indescribable; a mixture of lounge and a knock-off jam band. The song is written well with great waves of insightfulness, but a trio of drum, bass and piano is venturing farther than anything I thought the Foo Fighters would ever conceive. Still, it’s a great song.
However, Grohl’s digression is capitalized by "Home," a somber closing number with just Grohl and a piano that ends with a string accompaniment.
As a complete work, this album is similar to a stained glass window, a collection of colors that change with the angle of the sun.
Each is bright in certain moments and leaves an impression upon the ears.
It’s an amazing album that starts and ends in two different places, not to mention taking curves along the way that lead you to places you didn’t think existed on a Foo album.
