By Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY
After seven albums and 17 years, the color and the shape of Foo Fighters haven't changed much, which is unfortunate for anyone waiting for an artistic breakthrough but fine for fans who like their rock loud, sweaty and cathartic.
By Steve Gullick
The Foo Fighters are, clockwise left, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear, Nate Mendel, Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl.
By Steve Gullick
The Foo Fighters are, clockwise left, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear, Nate Mendel, Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl.
Wasting Light (* * * out of four ) wastes no time getting down to the business of melodic, aggressive, guitar-driven intensity, opening with the metallic riff monster Bridge Is Burning and anthemic modern-rock single Rope, soon followed by the dizzy din of shambolic White Limo, a reminder of frontman Dave Grohl's Nirvana heyday.
It isn't the only flannel throwback. Grohl recorded Wasting in his new San Fernando Valley garage studio and brought Nevermindproducer Butch Vig on board. Guitarist Pat Smear is back full time, and Nirvana alum Krist Novoselic pops up to provide bass and accordion on I Should Have Known, a moving toast to the late Kurt Cobain.
Aside from dull misstep Miss the Misery, the Foos stick to hearty and howling rockers, bending the format for the lovely Arlandria and frenetic, pop-fueled Back and Forth. It's not revolutionary, but it's invitingly rebellious. ? Edna Gundersen
>Download:Bridge Is Burning, I Should Have Known, Rope, White Limo, Arlandria, Walk
OTHER NOTABLE RELEASES
Alison Krauss & Union StationPaper Airplane
* * * * BLUEGRASS
Otherworldly vocals and musicianship are guaranteed with this sterling outfit. Whether it's Krauss drifting sadly through Richard Thompson's exquisite Dimming of the Day or Dan Tyminski stoutly portraying the plight of Dust Bowl Children, these performances will linger in your wounded soul. ? Jerry Shriver
>Download:�The above tracks, plus Paper Airplane, My Love Follows You Where You Go, Sinking Stone
k.d. lang and the Siss Boom BangSing It Loud
* * *� POP
Lang ranks among our finest purveyors of dreamy, creamy, country-tinged torch songs, picking up the mantle from Roy Orbison and Peggy Lee with these perfect vehicles for her vibrant voice. And her new alt-country-steeped band provides backing that can be amiable or sweepingly romantic. ? Shriver
>Download:�I Confess, The Water's Edge, Perfect Word, Sugar Buzz, Sing It Loud, David Byrne's Heaven
Thursday, No Devoluci�n
* * * SCREAMO
The New Jersey band's sixth album finds the post-hard-core outfit again paired with Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann on an atmospheric, experimental batch of tunes. Millimeter should have been axed, but the rest, from icy Magnets Caught in a Metal Heart to industrial-shaded A Gun in the First Act, add up to Thursday's best since 2001's Full Collapse. ? Edna Gundersen
>Download:A Gun in the First Act, A Darker Forest, Stay True
Brett Dennen,Loverboy
* * * FUNKY FOLK-POP
The baby-faced redhead suffuses many of these tunes with a spirit of reggae and '70s soul. That vibe suits the kind of guy who'll drop everything to aid a friend in trouble, find a reason to turn a funeral into a celebration of life and view a stretch of bad luck as the perfect opportunity to mount a comeback. Hard not to like a guy like that. ? Brian Mansfield
>Download:Sydney (I'll Come Running), Dancing at a Funeral, Comeback Kid
Dania Ramirez Ivana Bozilovic Drea de Matteo Bar Refaeli Michelle Branch
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