Few bands enjoy the near-immediate and prolonged success as Grammy Award-winning rock outfit Foo Fighters. In an industry that is filled with 20-somethings trying to write the catchiest hook, Dave Grohl and his merry band have proven to be kings. However, it is exactly this kind of success that inspired Grohl to go a more back-to-basics route, recording “Wasting Light” with analog tape in a homemade studio in his garage.
If Dave Grohl wants to get back to his roots, Dave Grohl is going to get back to his roots. So, it should come as no surprise that “Wasting Light” is the first album since 1997's “The Colour and the Shape” to feature original lead guitarist Pat Smear. He even went and hired Butch Vig, producer of the multi-platinum album “Nevermind” by Nirvana, of which Grohl was the drummer in his early days.
In the case of the Foo Fighters, it seems the mentality has been that of “If it ain't broke, don't fix it.” On the album, we find the same formula that has garnered the band its immense popularity, but with a bit of a twist. Much more rock oriented than 2007's do-it-all album “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace,” we find a more focused sound than we've heard in a long time from the group.
From the first heavy-hitting words exclaimed in Grohl's signature growl (“These are my famous last words!”), we know that the Foo Fighters mean business. Even on the messy, noise-punk influenced “White Limo,” we find a band that just wants to rock, in a scream-until-your-eyes-bleed type fashion.
The album also features the radio-friendly rock hits the group has become known for. Lead single “Rope” is a guitar-chugging, fist-pumping arena rocker. “These Days” has a very familiar Foo flavor, boasting a “Times Like These” feel to it. However, it is on the strength of the tracks less likely to hit the radio airwaves where we find the album's true beauty. The rousing “Arlandria” and soulful ballad “I Should Have Known” feature some of the best writing we've seen from Grohl in a long time.
On the album's closing track, Grohl bellows,“I'm learning to walk again, I believe I've waited long enough. I'm learning to talk again, can't you see I've waited long enough?” While “Wasting Light” may not be quite as stark a change as one would expect, it is the best album the group has released since “The Colour and the Shape” — and that's saying something.
Reach the reporter at tpaxton@asu.edu
