Foo Fighters are my favourite band of the time. They have released some great albums. Now on a crucial anniversary they release "In Your Honour". This is what they regard as their most passionate album yet. Now don't get me wrong, it is a good album, I would be lying if I said otherwise. However it is lacking the goods that made the previous 3 albums so brilliant.
Before I continue however let me fill you in on the history of the band. Their lead singer, Dave Grohl was previously the drummer of Nirvana, where the band eventually collapsed due to the tragic "suicide" of Kurt Cobain. While Dave was in Nirvana, he had made some of his own music material, however he was too scared to publicise it as he thought at the time it would ruin the relationship of Nirvana. But he then made these songs into an album titled "Foo Fighters", where he played every instrument on the album. After releasing this, Dave gained a good reputation and eventually formed a band also titled "Foo Fighters". This helped create the second album. To this current day, the Foo fighters have had 5 mainstream albums and consist of 4 band members. They are Dave Grohl, who is lead vocals and plays guitar, Taylor Hawkins
on drums, Chris Shiflett, the most recent addition to the band and is the backing vocalist and another guitarist, finally there is Nate Mendel who plays the bass guitar.
"In Your Honour" is the 5th album by the Foo Fighters and is a 2 disc CD. There are 21 tracks in total, however they have been split up into 2 discs, each disc represents a different genre. Through the publicity they have distinguished the discs by saying that there's "One that's loud, one that's not so loud". This basically means that disc 1 is the rock that all previous Foo Fighters fans are aware of. The bass guitar is heavily used on this album and for good reason, as they are calling this the loudest album they have ever created.
Here is a short description of the first 3 tracks from disc 1 to give you an insight into what this album is all about. Track 1 is called "In Your Honour". This is a song where the bass isn't used until the end of the song. The lyrics are well defined and work well with the song. The best part is when the song comes to a sudden halt, making you think it's the end. But then the song starts again, with a faster tempo and Dave Grohl shouting down the microphone with emotion. Track 2 is called "No Way Back". This is a very fast paced song from the start and has Dave's vocals, again very loud and sounds like he is gritting his teeth while singing, not that it sounds bad though. Track 3 is called "Best Of You". This was their first single from the album and is stunning. It shows real emotion, not only in the vocals, but also the beat in which the drum follows, as it really compliments the guitars.
Best Of You is a brilliant song, probably my favourite on the album and what I would expect from them. It is very long though and unless I'm playing the whole album at once, chances are I won't listen to it on any other occasion. The thing that got me though is that this is meant to be a loud album (Disc 1 that is). I didn't get that impression at all from it; in fact I've heard louder songs on older albums like Lonely as You from the album One By One. It is loud, but it disappointed me slightly. However since originally reviewing this album, I have grown to love certain tracks now which I thought at the time were mediocre.
Now we move onto Disc 2, which is the "not so loud" part of the album. This is simply an acoustic album, showing harmony in the vocals and a new side to the Foo Fighters. Track 1 is called "Still". This is a brilliant song, which contains a very peaceful vibe and is very relaxing to listen to. I believe this is a perfect opener to an acoustic album. Then track 2, which is called "What If I Do?" is purely acoustic and sounds like they have taken an old Foo Fighters song and made an acoustic version of it. Now that is genius, as I am a big fan of their original works as well as their modern heavy sound. Also the lyrics to this song show true meaning to a dilemma in which somebody could lose everything if they make the wrong choice. Track 3 is called "Miracle". This is a very uplifting song, as it resembles somebody who is grateful for receiving a miracle. Other tracks that deserve recognition include "Another Round", "Razor" and also "Virginia Moon", which is a vocal duet with Norah Jones. Although the prospect of her working with the Foo Fighters may seem highly ridiculous, the fact that it is an acoustic album means that it works really well.
Now although I like Disc 1, something compels me to like Disc 2 more. I think the songs just sound better and relate to the old Foo Fighters. I felt classic songs like Big Me and Learn To Fly would fit on this album which is why I preferred this to Disc 1. Maybe it was a bad idea to create 2 individual albums? I also think the next song that is being released is from Disc 1, which is disappointing as I think both Discs deserves equal opportunities. What they could do though is make a double A sided single.
If you are an old fan of the Foo Fighters, this is definitely your album, but I think this also appeals to people who are into relaxing, chill-out albums. I personally recommend it even though, as a true Foo Fighters fan, I don't find it as overwhelming as previous albums.
They do deserve more respect as well; I mean why would you pick the Crazy Frog over the Foos? It is really beyond me, but there is still time to make a change, make that change now and buy an album or single where people are passionate about making their own music, not the mobile phone companies who pay some DJ to get an old song sampled with a Frog going "Ring Ding..."
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Inspired by the American public that Dave Grohl met on the trail while campaigning for ... more
John Kerry during the 2004 US Election campaign, In Your Honour could easily have fallen flat, a casualty of George W Bushs triumphant return to the Whitehouse. That...
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Disc 1 In Your Honor No Way Back Best Of You DOA Hell The Last Song Free Me Resolve The ... more
Deepest Blues Are Back End Over End Disc 2 Still What If I Do Miracle Another Round Friend Of A Friend Over 'N' Out On The Mend Virginia Moon Cold Day In The Sun Ra...
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Inspired by the American public that Dave Grohl met on the trail while campaigning for ... more
John Kerry during the 2004 US Election campaign,In Your Honourcould easily have fallen flat, a casualty of George W Bushs triumphant return to the Whitehouse. That i...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Quite catchy tracks, something for everyone some good guitar riffs etc. Disadvantages: Some tracks not memorable, the mix of track types may make it seem like they lack real direction
IzzyS 14.04.2009 (14.04.2009)
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