Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
Ten years after the definitive "The Colour and The Shape," the Foo Fighters reconvene with "Colour" producer Gil Norton. The result isn't quite another classic, but "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace," releasing Tuesday, will satisfy Foo fans.
Lead man Dave Grohl isn't one to usually experiment - save for 2005's "In Your Honor" - but "Echoes" manages to blend the Foos' typical post-grunge alt-rock sound with small influxes of innovation, no doubt inspired by its 2006 acoustic tour.
The opening track and first single, "The Pretender," is the album's best song. It begins innocently enough as a cello-and-guitar-driven ballad, but it fiercely shifts into big arena rock, complete with Grohl's signature growl on the chorus.
Other delectable songs include the country-tinged "Summer's End," the dynamic and grungy "Let It Die," and the piano-laced "Statues" that is punctuated by Grohl's heartfelt lyrics and impressive blues guitar playing. The most surprising track is "The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners," a two-minute instrumental bluegrass jam dedicated to the victims of a 2006 mine collapse in Tasmania.
Unfortunately, some tracks aren't up to par. "Erase Replace" suffers from poor songwriting and generic arrangements, while "But Honestly" and "Home" are too soft and melancholy. Even "Cheer Up Boys, Your Makeup is Running" - which had potential to denounce overly emotive pop-punk artists - ends up being uneventful, radio-oriented pop-rock.
"Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace" definitely has its highlights, but the Foo Fighters continues its struggle to make an album as timeless and memorable as its decade-old classic.
