2008 Woodie Awards
CD Review: Foo Fighters
Jessica Bakeman
Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: FUSE
Originally published: 9/27/07 at 9:59 PM EST
Last update: 9/27/07 at 9:58 PM EST
- Page 1 of 1
The Foo Fighters have, in the past, produced popular music of the rock genre, but with "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace," they have put out a clear disappointment.
The album opens with its best piece, which only sets up listeners for a let down. "The Pretender" is a fast-paced rock piece with strong percussion and infusions of electric guitar.
However, the lyrics seem to be somewhat cliché, proving that "the others" are pretenders, and the speaker is, in fact, unique. It ends abruptly with screaming, "Who are you? Who are you?"
"Let It Die" is the first in a series of songs that begin with a soft, acoustic guitar-based melody and end with thrashing metal and screaming.
"Come Alive," which is track five, is extremely similar to "Let It Die" in this regard. This is, perhaps, ironic, based on their titles.
"Erase/Replace" teases listeners with initially interesting percussive elements that persist throughout the entire song. They become boring, repetitive, and almost give a headache to the listener.
The lyrics are bland and the vocals are irritating. Listeners should take the title as a command for what to do with the song on their iPods - erase it, or replace it.
The next song, "Long Road to Ruin," showcases one of the strengths of the Foo Fighters: their lyrics.
The analytical listener will enjoy the inspiration for the poetic lyrics - the difficult decisions humans have to make and the questions that they are faced with on a daily basis. It is melodically pleasant, as well.
"Stranger Things Have Happened" is likely to be one of the more popular songs on the album. It resembles a more mainstream style than the rest of the songs.
The next three songs show the variety of musical styles on the album, although they are not all mastered.
"Summer's End" features a great electric guitar solo. Otherwise, the song is nothing special.
"Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners" is a song that simply repeats irritating chord progressions on an acoustic guitar with no lyrics.
The third song in this diverse triplet, "Statues," is a gorgeous ballad - it is truly a gem of "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace."
"But, Honestly" is representative of the quality of the entire album: repetitive, bland, annoying, and boring.
The placement of the song "Home" on the album does not do it justice. Its lyrics, once again, are beautiful, but the tempo drags. It is too slow to capture the attention of surely-bored-by-now listeners, so the lyrics are lost.
Finally, "Once & For All," is similar to the rest - surely not a good way to go out.
Overall, the Foo Fighters made an earnest attempt to express themselves musically in a profound and unique way. However, their lyrics' extraordinaire was lost among irritating melodies and unclear transitions. A piece of advice for the Foo Fighters: try harder next time.
The album opens with its best piece, which only sets up listeners for a let down. "The Pretender" is a fast-paced rock piece with strong percussion and infusions of electric guitar.
However, the lyrics seem to be somewhat cliché, proving that "the others" are pretenders, and the speaker is, in fact, unique. It ends abruptly with screaming, "Who are you? Who are you?"
"Let It Die" is the first in a series of songs that begin with a soft, acoustic guitar-based melody and end with thrashing metal and screaming.
"Come Alive," which is track five, is extremely similar to "Let It Die" in this regard. This is, perhaps, ironic, based on their titles.
"Erase/Replace" teases listeners with initially interesting percussive elements that persist throughout the entire song. They become boring, repetitive, and almost give a headache to the listener.
The lyrics are bland and the vocals are irritating. Listeners should take the title as a command for what to do with the song on their iPods - erase it, or replace it.
The next song, "Long Road to Ruin," showcases one of the strengths of the Foo Fighters: their lyrics.
The analytical listener will enjoy the inspiration for the poetic lyrics - the difficult decisions humans have to make and the questions that they are faced with on a daily basis. It is melodically pleasant, as well.
"Stranger Things Have Happened" is likely to be one of the more popular songs on the album. It resembles a more mainstream style than the rest of the songs.
The next three songs show the variety of musical styles on the album, although they are not all mastered.
"Summer's End" features a great electric guitar solo. Otherwise, the song is nothing special.
"Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners" is a song that simply repeats irritating chord progressions on an acoustic guitar with no lyrics.
The third song in this diverse triplet, "Statues," is a gorgeous ballad - it is truly a gem of "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace."
"But, Honestly" is representative of the quality of the entire album: repetitive, bland, annoying, and boring.
The placement of the song "Home" on the album does not do it justice. Its lyrics, once again, are beautiful, but the tempo drags. It is too slow to capture the attention of surely-bored-by-now listeners, so the lyrics are lost.
Finally, "Once & For All," is similar to the rest - surely not a good way to go out.
Overall, the Foo Fighters made an earnest attempt to express themselves musically in a profound and unique way. However, their lyrics' extraordinaire was lost among irritating melodies and unclear transitions. A piece of advice for the Foo Fighters: try harder next time.
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