On April 12, the Foo Fighters released their seventh studio album Wasting Light. It’s a mainstream rock album that only the Foo Fighters could come up with.
Wasting Light begins with “Bridges Burning.” I challenge you to listen to the twenty seconds of guitar riffs stacked on top of each other before the drums come in and deny that it’s a great melody to open the album.
The lyrics won’t jump out at you, but they’re worth paying attention to: “Down crooked stairs and sideways glances comes the king of second chances. Now throw him in the flames. Whatever keeps you warm at night.”
Next comes “Rope,” the album’s first single. I can’t praise the lyrics for this song enough. “Give me some rope; I’m coming loose. I’m hanging on you.” This song is fast-paced, catchy and there’s some time for a guitar riff or two, which I bet will sound amazing live.
“Arlandria” is the fifth track on the album. The chorus is definitely catchy, but it takes a few listens to really hear the lyrics. The melody is built around front-man Dave Grohl’s vocals. Even the now familiar guitar riffs that populate every track seem to be there just to build up Grohl’s voice.
The next song is “These Days.” This is by far my favorite off the album. The lyrics are strong and the song builds on the emotions of Grohl’s singing. The song as itself is a big “f— you” to everyone who tells people that “it’ll all be okay.” “Easy for you to say; your heart has never been broken. Your pride has never been stolen. Not yet. Not yet. One of these days I bet your heart’ll be broken.”
“Back and Forth” follows this track. It’s really catchy, but I can’t praise it a whole lot beyond that. I don’t think it will ever be any one’s favorite song, but it’s one that can easily be sung along with. It’s not as strong as the rest of the album. It’s not bad; it’s just not particularly great.
Still, it doesn’t take away from the album as a whole. Maybe I’m just being picky because it’s sandwiched between two much stronger songs: “These Days” and “A Matter of Time.”
“A Matter of Time” has some of the best lyrics on the album. They’re clever, and Grohl piles the metaphors on top of each other in a way that is just too appealing. “You’re one to talk. The heart is a clock. Just like a bomb it keeps ticking away.” “Doing my time for line after line. When will I learn to sing these crimes to myself? Prisoners to share a cell with.” Again, the melody seems to be lifting the lyrics.
“I Should Have Known” is an uncharacteristically slow and sad song, though it doesn’t detract from the energy that Wasting Light has been building. It’s about a death and Grohl berating himself for not seeing the signs.
I won’t be the guy who mumbles “Kurt Cobain,” but I’m willing to bet someone out there has already written an in-depth analysis claiming the lyrics are about Cobain’s death.
Wasting Light follows that up with the final song on the album “Walk.” It’s an excellent way to wrap things up: with a catchy, upbeat track that’s more hopeful than anything else on the album.
It’s a good and consistent album. It may take several listens to appreciate the high production quality, but it’s worth the time. The lyrics are, for the most part, good; the melodies are better; and the entire album is a return to earlier Foo Fighters sounds.
But Wasting Light has its flaws too: it can be repetitive and there’s no one song to really center or ground the album as a whole.
Four-out-of-five stars.
If you liked Wasting Light, check out other Foo Fighters albums, as well as The Offspring.
Richard Solomon can be reached at richard.solomon@spartans.ut.edu.
Way to not research any info on the album. You didn’t even mention the producer Buth Vig who also produced Nirvana’s Nevermind. Also Dave Grohl himself has said the song “I Should Have Known” is about Kurt Cobain as most of the album reflects to those days and even guest appears Kris Noveselic the bass player from Nirvana.