When Dave Grohl announced that the Foo Fighters would be recording their seventh studio album in his San Fernando Valley garage using analog tape, we weren’t sure exactly what to expect. Suprisingly enough, Wasting Light has proven to be one of the band’s most remarkable efforts yet. With legendary Nevermind producer Butch Vig at the reins, a guest appearance from Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic and the full–fledged return of former Foo guitarist Pat Smear, Wasting Light contains some of the group’s best cuts since 1997’s The Colour and Shape.
The album opener "Bridge Burning" starts explosively with Grohl screaming, “These are my famous last words!” atop a feedback–drenched guitar and machine–gun drums. A majestic slow–building fist–pumper, the cut is one of the most arresting opening tracks we’ve heard from the group in a long time. The quintet’s staple melodic punk sound comes through on tracks like "White Limo" and "Rope," which brandish heavy–metal guitar muscle and gleefully scorching vocal melodies.
Some of the album’s best moments come during "Dear Rosemary" and "Arlandria," both of which channel Nirvana–esque pop melodies amidst thrashing primal rock licks. The insanely catchy "Back and Forth" provides much–needed up–tempo relief in the form of a bluesy power ballad between a series of somewhat less interesting tracks. But the more invigorating tracks, like "These Days" and "Miss the Misery," will no doubt end up becoming key players in the band’s live acoustic repertoire.
While the album’s perpetual energy is certainly warranted, heartfelt tracks like "I Should Have Known" (which features Novoselic on bass) may leave Foo fans pining for the similarly deep emotional shade of 2002’s "All My Life" or "Times Like These." Instead, Wasting Light’s back–to–basics aesthetic encourages more of the vocal howling and three–guitar riff bombing that marks the classic Foo Fighters sound. And we’re just fine with that. Foo Fighters, Wasting Light Sounds Like: A return to the glory days of arena rock 99–Cent Download: “Dear Rosemary” Good For: Fist–pumping, head–banging, or a combination of the two
