Foo Fighters Wasting Light (2011)

Foo Fighters have long been one of my favorite mainstream rock bands but I honestly can't remember more than a couple songs off their last album without listening to it. Thankfully I don't think that will be a problem with Wasting Light. Billed as a back to basics album that was recorded directly to analog in Dave Grohl's garage, The Foo Fighters have welcomed back original member Pat Smear into the fold. That gives them 3 guitar players, the perfect amount for maximum rock. Nirvana bassist Krist Novolesic plays on the ballad "I Should Have Known" and ex Husker Du and Sugar legend Bob Mould adds vocals to the mid-tempo rock of "Dear Rosemary."

All that is well and good but would mean nothing if the songs weren't up to par. Thankfully they are. I've always preferred it when Grohl acknowledges his pop roots and the hooks on tracks like the lead single "Rope," "Arlandia," Back & Forth" and "A Matter of Time" are fantastic. The power ballad "These Days" is one of the best slower songs Foo Fighters have ever recorded and Grohl's time in Queens of the Stone Age is fully evident on the balls out rock of "White Limo." "Walk" is an epic sounding closer that plays a great album out with a great track. Most Foo albums suffer from a handful of tracks that don't have lasting appeal. It's only been a few days but I don't see that being an issue this time around

Wasting Light may be the bands best album since The Color and the Shape or it could fall into the same category as One By One which has a lot of great songs but isn't a completely memorable album start to finish. I tend to think it's the former but only time will tell. One thing's for sure, Wasting Light is one of the best hard rock albums of the year so far and will likely be considered such at the end of the year as well.

Rating: 4.5

Track Listing:

1. "Bridge Burning" (4:47)
2. "Rope" (4:19)
3. "Dear Rosemary" (4:27)
4. "White Limo" (3:23)
5. "Arlandria" (4:28)
6. "These Days" (4:59)
7. "Back & Forth" (3:52)
8. "A Matter of Time" (4:56)
9. "Miss the Misery" (4:34)
10. "I Should Have Known" (4:16)
11. "Walk" (4:16)