Review Summary: We will always love the Foo Fighters for there hard rocking songs, and on this album, they show us we can love them for a new style.
We all grow up with music in our life, and we all learn to love “that one” band or musician that captures our hearts. Well for me, “that one” musician is David Eric Grohl. Ever since I could remember, I have been listing to Seattle scene music, and now that this culture is dying out, the Foo Fighters are the only mainstream band keeping it alive.
There are a lot of people that see the Foos as a talented band, but I have never heard anyone talk about “that album” that they recorded. Well, this is that album. With a name that makes scene after listing all the way through Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace is a beautiful mix between intense guitars, booming drums, and delicate acoustic rock. With songs like “the pretender” and “Erase/Replace” this album can please any old rock fan. However the least expecting soft rock listener can say they listened to a Foo Fighters album and enjoyed it. How you ask? Well songs like “Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners” and “Home” explain it all, soft guitars, delicate piano playing, and even violins somehow found their way onto this album.
As many people have passed this album without much thought, I saw this album as a new- maybe even the last chapter of the Foo Fighters. With a more mature minded Grohl, he came out and put a lot of meaning into his song writing. Yes, he will always be a “goof ball” in Taylor Hawkins words, but this album shows his deeper, emotional thoughts with songs like “let it die” and “Stranger Things Have Happened” These songs let you relate with the lyrics like “You were not alone, dear loneliness” and I can change, who do you want me to be?” A little cliché? Yes, but it never the less the best thing this album showcases is the songwriting.
Now I do have to say that many people who have loved the Foo Fighters for their hard rocking songs will not enjoy this album. Yes, they do have a few hits on the album like “the pretender”, but without a big show of fast paced, loud songs, I could see how an older fan could skip half the album. However, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace is the turning point in Foo Fighters history. Obviously, they stuck with there classic style of playing in Wasting Light, but after listing to the album many times, it still stands out as a showcase of what a great musician can do with two opposite styles of music, and that is why fans, old or new should respect this album.
