Posted by Despite everything that has befallen them, the untimely passing of Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl’s mum in the same year, as well as Dave’s extra curricular activities, Foo Fighters are back with a new album. Your Favourite Toy comes three years after the cathartic But Here We Are, and continues its back to basics 90s ethos but with a hefty dose of punk noise to it.
The archetypal Foo Fighters loud and proud stadium sized rocker ‘Caught in the Echo’ welcomes you to proceedings. There are no frills and very little bombast here, the bands twelfth record is a straight forward slab of whip sharp hard rock. ‘Of All People’ is a punchy, sub three minute track about meeting an old drug dealer and feeling survivors guilt. The title track is a raucous bundle of hooks that does not outstay its welcome. Spit Shine is a rough and ready nugget of distorted guitars and passionate vocals.
It is a back to basics affair which plays to the bands strengths and is over and out in 37 minutes. Their staple diet of quiet verse then loud chorus is fine fettle in the ‘Unconditional’, an emotive number with a hypnotic beat. “Was it ever good enough?” Grohl asks in the good but not great ‘Child Actor, with its low, thrumming bass, crashing chords and swelling choruses. They do stop to smell the flowers once, as in the pleasant, mid paced jangle of Windows – seemingly telling the tale of a window cleaner – but mostly its lots of short, sharp rock. The one bit of bombast here comes at the close – the heavy stomp, moody atmosphere and the fiery climax of ‘Asking For A Friend’.
The Foos 12th album is a reliably loud, back to basics offering that strips away the fat – leaving behind no nonsense, raucous hard rock.
7/10
P.S. I’m sorry Mr Grohl, but I just can’t bring myself to spell favourite wrong!
Lofty Music and Film 