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Music Review

05 July 2009 00:37 BST

Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace

Sony BMG, out now.

In a nutshell…

Well-built, assorted, compelling, incomparable.

What's it all about?

This is Foo Fighters' sixth studio album, greatly anticipated after the release of hard-hitting track The Pretender. The album has 13 tracks, all of which cover parts of the band's varied career.

Who's it by

Well known for such tracks as Breakout, Learn to Fly and, more recently, Best of You, this unique effort from the Foos shows they are still on form.

Formed after the demise of the superband Nirvana, Dave Grohl left the drum stool behind and moved on to be a frontman. Originally teaming up with Pat Smear (also ex-Nirvana), William Goldsmith on drums and Nate Mendel on bass, the band has lost and gained a few of its members through the years. Smear – who was replaced by Chris Shiflett after two albums – played several acoustic gigs with the band recently, including the set that was recorded for the live album Skin and Bones, and also at another couple of surprise acoustic sets at this year's V Festival.

After replacing Goldsmith, Taylor Hawkins – once Alanis Morissette's tour drummer –formed a strong bond with Grohl with his vocal talents on display on fan favourites like Cold Day in the Sun.

As an example…

"What if I say I'm not like the others?/What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays/You're the pretender/What if I say I will never surrender?" – The Pretender

"We're just ordinary people, you and me/Time will turn us in to statues eventually" - Statues

Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys

Very likely. This is a very strong performance from the band, bringing them back to the success that they saw with The Colour and the Shape. Mixed with their new acoustic efforts, Echoes, Silence… has a very high chance of an award.

What the others say

"This is an anthology of strong new songs by a great bunch of bands, all calling themselves Foo Fighters." - Rolling Stone

"Being reunited with The Colour and the Shape producer Gil Norton has instilled the confidence needed for Grohl to fully realise his songwriting potential." - Yahoo

So is it any good?

Brutal opener The Pretender seems to be key for the layout and style of the Foos' albums. A newcomer, for example, will be drawn in straight away without a boring intro, and this tactic has served them well again here as the first song establishes a strong foothold for the tracks that follow. Let It Die and The Long Road to Ruin are both songs whose mellow beginning is transformed as the chorus drops. Here is the turning point for the Foos – on a few previous efforts interest would frequently diminish after the opening tracks, before a more bombastic song pulled the listener back in.

Normally these forgettable songs are acoustic with a slower tempo at odds with the Foo Fighters' back catalogue. Until now – Come Alive and Stranger Things Have Happened are both acoustic and definitely keep the listener interested with various layered guitar solos.

Moving on, Cheer Up Boys and Your Makeup Is Running briefly bring the album back to moderate rock, before sending it straight back to acoustic with the instrumental Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners. This continues to the end like a wave of electric at the peak and acoustic at the trough.

In conclusion, this album is a definite improvement on previous effort In Your Honour. More clearly defined and lyrically intelligent, this album easily gets two thumbs up.

9/10

Dan Kelly