Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace Review

The biggest knock people have had on the Foo Fighters over the years is that they rarely branch out past their comfort zone.  Of course, when they did do that for half of their last album, 2005's In Your Honor, the results were far from good.  Thankfully, the first disc that featured the band in their comfort zone was excellent, one of the best rock moments of that year.

So now, after releasing an acoustic live album last year (Skin and Bones), and apparently getting that completely out of their system, they're back this week with their sixth album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace.  For those hoping to see the band branch out past their comfort zone, you'll be disappointed again.  For those like me, however, who is just happy that there's still a couple of decent rock and roll bands out there, this album is just about everything you could ask for.

The first four songs on this record grab your attention and absolutely refuse to let it go.  First single The Pretender is one of the stronger modern rock singles in recent memory.  Sonically, it starts with a soft guitar melody and the hushed vocals of Dave Grohl.  Before long, however, the song has exploded into a fury of drums and guitars, leading into a gigantic chorus ("What if I say you're not like the others, what if I say you're not just another one, your place, you're the pretender, what if I say that I never surrender").

Next up is Let It Die, which starts off with a gorgeous acoustic melody, and soon, Grohl's whisper-like voice is there as well.  Unlike The Pretender though, this song stays soft for the first 2 minutes, focusing on the same acoustic melody.  All of a sudden, out of nowhere comes crash cymbals and crunching guitars.  Then it moves back to that melody, before the band kicks in full time, pushing the song to it's climax, with Grohl slowly letting his voice grow into a full on roar.  There are very few vocalists in rock right now who can compete with Grohl's passionate yells.

Erase Replace might be the least solid of the opening foursome, mostly because it sounds like three or four previous Foo Fighter songs.  With that being said, Grohl sells the song well thanks to a massive chorus.  After that comes Long Road to Ruin, the sort of pop-rock song this band has built a lot of their crossover appeal on.  At this point, it's obvious that Nirvana might truly have been what everyone thinks they were had Grohl been allowed some insight into the songwriting process.  The dude has a penchant for coming up with an insanely sugar sweet hook, and this song might be the sweetest of his career.  With the right promotion, this could become the biggest hit of the band's career.

I guess it's not surprising the band can't keep up this pace.  Come Alive follows the blueprint of the first two songs, but the execution doesn't come close for the same type of payoff.  And while Stranger Things Have Happened isn't a bad song, it feels jarring coming on the heels of a bunch of headstrong rockers.

Thankfully, here comes Grohl's pop penchance again, as Cheer Up Boys (Your Makeup Is Running) is another sugary guitar pop confection.  He embraces his inner blues on Summer's End, and manages to write an effective ballad in Statues.  His only real big misstep is the acoustic instrumental The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners.  Sure, it shows ambition, if little else.  But again, it feels horribly out of place.

OK, so at times, it feels like Grohl and his merry band of men are rehashing the same formula (quiet beginning, slow build, hard rocking ending), but when the formula works this well, who cares?  If the songs all sucked, that'd be one thing.  But they don't. 

In the end, Grohl and the rest of the Foos have realized what works for them.  And what works for them is great for rock and roll fans eveywhere.