Album Reviews

There's no mystery about why this seventh Foo Fighters album succeeds artistically and commercially. Dave Grohl tempers his scream fest tendencies with focus, clarity and discipline. Producer Butch Vig, who worked with Nirvana tightens it all up and doesn't leave any loose ends hanging in a recording done in Grohl's garage. Grohl brings back Nirvana and Germs guitarist Pat Smear as well as Krist Novoselic on bass and accordian on "I Should Have Known." It's almost a reunion.

There's no mystery about why this seventh Foo Fighters album succeeds artistically and commercially. Dave Grohl tempers his scream fest tendencies with focus, clarity and discipline. Producer Butch Vig, who worked with Nirvana tightens it all up and doesn't leave any loose ends hanging in a recording done in Grohl's garage. Grohl brings back Nirvana and Germs guitarist Pat Smear as well as Krist Novoselic on bass and accordian on "I Should Have Known." It's almost a reunion.

So you end up with a blaring, guitar charging, hard rock record that's all too uncommon in 2011. The melodies aren't strong, but there are hooks to be had and wirey electric textures in which to revel.

So what if you can sing "All Along the Watchtower" over "Dear Rosemary"? It's catchy and jumpy and has Bob Mould adding vocals and guitar. The guitar din is a welcome throughout and thanks to being recorded to analog tape, the instruments have welcome weight, body and individual character.

This is a record you can really sink you ears into despite the energetic frenzy that swallows up most of the air. It's a stadium rocker of an album made living room friendly. There's a nearly hooky mid-tempo hit in "Arlandria" that sounds like a blend of Nirvana and The Cars with the soft bed in a few places leaving space for Grohl to take his vocals down from the screaming heights. "These Days" is almost a ballad.

This band has been around for a long time now and it's had ups and downs in its recorded career. This one is definitely one of the high points as long as you don't expect any "There Goes My Hero" blow away moments. 

While the recording was to analog tape, the mastering credit goes to Emily Lazar and Joe LaPorta at The Lodge, which is not a lacquer cutting house and there's no indication to what format Alan Moulder's compact and tidy mix was committed to or at what resolution since it probably was to digital. 

There's no scribe or familiar stamp on the "dead wax" and no lacquer mastering credit on the credit inner sleeve, but the cut was to 45rpm and the tell-tale signs of a Pallas pressing are all over the vinyl and that's good!

So combine the music, the excellent gatefold packaging with glossy printed inner sleeves and  rice paper and paper inner inner sleeves, the double 45rpm format, and the Pallas pressing and you have first rate, hard rocking package even a boomer geezer has to love.

In terms of form factor, who would thought his possible in 2011? And who would have thought Nirvana's drummer could possibly have rebounded to forge a long, artistically successful career that's still kicking ass?

This is great car music and RCA/Roswell has provided a code not just for an MP3 download, but an MP3 dowload sourced from a vinyl playback of the album. Too bad they didn't use my turntable.