Big rock from a small room
Wasting Light is the Foo's seventh full-length record and they've been around so long, 16 years, and become so vastly popular with people who now associate Dave more than Kurt with Nirvana to make critical appraisal of this album moot. Those tickets for this summer's mammoth gigs in Milton Keynes are unlikely to be returned on the basis of a below-par CD. However, it is pretty fair to say that the band's run of great albums ended with 'There Is Nothing Left to Lose' back in 1999. A lifetime ago for most people let alone a rock band. The gigs may have gotten bigger and bigger but Dave Grohl seems more capable of producing satisfying singles than stirring long players. Evidence of that enduring trait is present among these 11 tracks namely 'Arlandria' and the track that brings two former members of Nirvana back together on tape, 'I Should Have Known' and possibly a third via Grohl's heartfelt lyric.
Wasting Light was recorded on tape in Grohl's garage (not the basement that was a different one) and sees Pat Smear back in the fold for his first record since The Colour and the Shape and Butch Vig is behind the desk for production duties. The numerous references to Grohl's childhood home of Virginia and the presence of many friends gives an impression of man orientated towards the more important things in life.
Given the aforementioned cast you can imagine that it doesn't exactly sound like it was recorded in just anyone's garage. The familiar environment has brought out some excellent performances with the whole thing sounding like the laser guided rock machine you would expect from such veterans. There's room for three guitar players, a host of guests in both the back and foreground and Taylor Hawkins' drums do occupy a very prominent and bombastic place in the mix.
The one-two punch of 'Bridge Burning' and 'Rope' are traditional up-tempo, aggressive but certainly not violent rock songs from the same stable as 'The Pretender' and 'Staked Actors'. With 'Rope' especially flexing some Who-esque arena-sized muscle with drums and guitar facing off against each other in a race to the finish. The first track to properly catch the ear is 'Dear Rosemary' which is another collaboration for Grohl with a long-standing influence checked off. This time it's Bob Mould of Husker Du making a vocal and guitar based appearance. 'These Days', 'Back and Forth' are another couple of diamond edged rockers but 'A Matter Of Time' starts off with a riff I'm sure Billy Corgan hocked around to little effect on 'Zeitgeist' a few years ago before it tootles off into a generic staccato bounce around.
Krist Novoselic makes his appearance on stand out effort 'I Should Have Known' where Grohl sings "I should have known/That it would end this way/Didn't hear your warning/Damn my heart on it". This vocal being the most chilling of his career, direct yet tender it shows that the losses he has experienced have yet to be recovered, if they ever will. The music rises atop Jessy Greene's violin and Novoselic's pulsating bass figure as Grohl digs deep for the chorus "Lay your hands in mine/Feel me one last time/Though I cannot forgive you yet/No I cannot forgive you yet/To leave my heart intact" before quivering strings bring it all to a close. 'Walk' brings down the credits on Wasting Light and is the kind of song Foo Fighters have built their reputation on but cannot top the plateau reached on 'I Should Have Known'.
There you have it then, Foo Fighters' seventh album and if not a great one, certainly a very good one. In fact, their very longevity brings into sharp focus their ability to still produce handfuls of exceptional rock songs. Further evidence if any was required that their career, already spanning three decades, is showing few signs of having the wheels come off it anytime soon.