Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

Dave Grohl's sixth album fronting post-grunge rockers Foo Fighters finds him softening his game somewhat, although not in the manner of 2005's In Your Honour, which countered the Foos' stadium metal moves with a second disc of acoustic songs. Rather, Echoes, Silence, Patienceand Grace sees Grohl taking cues from his beloved Led Zeppelin, penning a record that incorporates muscular rock shapes with piano ballads ("Statues"), picked acoustic moments ("Come Alive") and free-wheeling, classic-tinged jams like "Summer's End"--a song about romantic dalliances in the "sweet Virginia countryside". While it's undoubtedly a mature sort of record for the Foo Fighters, however, that's not to say that their edge has been blunted. With the band reunited with producer Gil Norton, whose skill for quiet/loud dynamics did a lot for 1997's The Colour and the Shape, tracks like "The Pretender" and "Erase/Replace" are muscular, dynamic rockers that balance subtle, atmospheric moments with epic bursts of rage. The track "Cheer up Boys (Your Make-Up Is Running)", meanwhile, feels like a jibe at the emo hordes who've tried, but failed, to dislodge Grohl's crown. It's the sound of a band growing into middle age gracefully. --Louis Pattison