‘Bridge Burning‘, the opening track to Foo Fighters 7th studio album ‘Wasting Light‘ has three different choruses. Only a songwriter like Dave Grohl can offer me three different melodies and make me want to break stuff and fall in love at the same time.
Openers really are what Foo Fighters do well, from the smack in the face ‘Stacked Actors‘ to the immenant explosion of ‘All My Life‘, ‘Bridge Burning‘ will have the Foos wondering what the hell to open with this summer.
There is something Grohl and co do every so often that completely captivates me. There are two re-occuring notes that Grohl sings in certain songs that I can only describe in picture form, and it would probably be the excitement and spookiness of having sex in a haunted house. He’s used them in the coda to ‘Headwires‘, the chorus to his early demo ‘Petrol CB‘ and in track 2 of the new album ‘Rope‘.
‘Rope‘ is the first single and although nothing new to foo fans, it is a culmination of what the Foos do better than most surviving rock bands; cool rhythms and great melodies. That sounds simple but you’d be suprised how many bands sacrifice one for the other.
I’ve heard long term Foo Fighters fans say they don’t like the direction of the band into straight out balls rock, but I think they are forgetting how rare a band like this are now adays. There may not be the shiver down the spine of ‘Everlong‘ or the lo-fi garage rock of ‘I’ll Stick Around‘ but this band offer consistency where other bands flake, and rock in the completely traditional sense of the word.
‘These Days‘ is whimsical, whilst ‘Rosemary‘ is haunting, backed vocally by the low wail of Bob Mould. ‘I Should Have Known‘ sounds like John Lennon waking from the dead, and is the emotional climax guest starring Krist Novoselic before the closer offers a last visceral ounce of classic rock, with Grohl sceaming “I never wanna’ die!” Over again, and I think the world believes him.
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Post by Thom.
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