Album Details

• Artist: Foo Fighters
• Album: Wasting Light
• Label:
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: MusicCritic on 2011-04-15

Foo Fighters are a unique band, in the sense that there’s nothing overly unique about them, and yet Dave Grohl and company continue to sell millions of albums, play stadium tours, and align themselves with members of some of the most notable acts in rock history. They’ve sold more records than the White Stripes, Flaming Lips, and Wilco combined, they’ve won more BRIT and Grammy awards than Radiohead, and yet you’d have a difficult time finding someone walking around with a Foo Fighters tattoo. From their eponymous 1995 debut to their newest release, Wasting Light, critical reception has always been highly favourable, and yet none of their albums wind up on year-end best-of lists.

Wasting Light offers the most obvious explanation for Foo Fighters’ popularity: Grohl is good at what he does. He’s an expert songwriter, as evidenced on the catchy, quiet/loud, slow/fast efforts ‘These Days,’ ‘Dear Rosemary,’ and ‘Arlandria,’ and the rocking foot-thumpers ‘Back & Forth,’ ‘Bridge Burning,’ and ‘White Limo.’ Lyrics, on the other hand, have never been Grohl’s strong suit – when he sings “Do you remember the days we built these paper mountains and sat and watched them burn?” on ‘Walk’ his words are so nonspecific they could mean anything – but perhaps this is one of the keys to his band’s success; the vocals don’t require a lot of thought. And there’s his persona: likeable everyman, hard worker, and enduring survivor of the Nirvana crazy train. He’s not showy, controversial, or outspoken, thus easy to root for.

Still, there’s something missing. Flaming Lips have quirk, Radiohead has creativity. White Stripes have cool, and Wilco has soul. Foo Fighters have solid craftsmanship. Wasting Light is a good record, and you may listen to it more than once or twice, but it’s not something you’ll spend a lot of time thinking about.

Kevin Hartford

User Reviews and Comments

Review:

on 2011-09-15 Bertman Said:

This new collection of 11 songs sounds both fresh and familiar at the same time. Grohl and company seem as though they spent two weeks lounging around a sunken living room, complete with shag carpet and wood paneled walls, listening to UFO, Thin Lizzy and Uriah Heep before heading into the studio.

There's a 1977 hard rock vibe on this disc without the needless indulgence of 6 minute tracks. The band manages to look back and move forward at the same time. Grohl sounds as determined here as he did on the initial FF disc, released in the previous millennium. Sixteen years on, it's obvious Grohl has never taken the Foo Fighters success for granted and isn't about to start.

Grohl snarls These are my famous last words! on the lead track, Bridge Burning, an unapologetic kick in the gut of anyone dumb enough to get in his way. Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic's appears on I Should Have Known and is interesting as it reunites them both with producer Butch Vig for the first time since Nevermind. Lyrically the song is reminiscent of John Lennon circa 1974. Throughout the disc there are chest thumping, knuckle dragging anthems as well as clever pop disguised as alternative angst. All of it deserves to be heard. Long time fans will not be disappointed and casual listeners should be converted.
Rating: 7/10