Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

Foo Fighters | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: September 21, 2007
• Label: RCA Records Label
• Copyright: (P) 2007 Roswell Records, Inc.
• Total Length: 54:54
• Genres:
• ASIN: B00138JAUY
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (133 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,052 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good News From the Foos, December 14, 2007

By 

Jeff Hodges (Denton, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (Audio CD)

In the mid-90's, I saw the Foo Fighters on the "Color and Shape" tour. At the time, I was particularly discouraged by the state of live music. I genuinely felt that the time for drums and guitars had ended, and that I should "gird my loins" for the next wave of musical expression, as previously exemplified by early `90s bands such as EMF and Jesus Jones.

Attending this show singlehandedly reinvigorated my belief in rock and roll. Eloquently enough, nearly a decade later I still find the Foos engaging. The Foo Fighters are a band that has inexplicably stood the test of time in the same way that U2 and Peter Gabriel did in the early 90s. While their reinvention may not be as obvious as their predecessors, it still situates them as one of the great and longlasting bands in the increasingly fickle musical landscape of today.

The beauty in the new Foo album lies in the way in which it navigates dynamics, songwriting, and energy. Even in its mellower moments, the "Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace" brims with a subdued tension that is only relieved by explosive energy. The way in which Grohl and his cohorts navigate the dichotomy between soothing lullaby and devastating intensity within song form (in the micro) and the overall album (in the macro) expresses a compositional maturity that belies the "rock" format within which they are categorized

For the careful listener, "Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace" is driven by subtle melodic polyphony. We're not talking counterpoint here, but the interplay between bass and lead vocal on "Erase/Replace" and rhythm guitar and vocal on "The Pretender" exhibit a certain compositional depth. To get much more complex would question the Foo's status as "rock" music.

And undeniably, The Foo Fighters' new album is, to its core, rock music. Who would have thought that, out of the ashes of the band that defined the `90s, a band that defines "rock" music through the strength of their vision would continue to be both relevant and eloquent? Perhaps the one criticism that can be leveled is their use of repetition and dynamic build-up for climax. Several songs on the album use this technique. However, there are also songs that are just loud, and others that are just, well, less loud (read: guitars are not distorted). Overall, it creates a relatively diverse acoustic environment.

The lowdown: Here's where melody, songwriting, and raw energy meet. I have had this album in my car for almost a month now, and I'm to the point of feeling guilty about removing it. I seem to enjoy it every time.

42 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 Stars, September 25, 2007

By 

Ron (Jersey) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (Audio CD)

This isn't a perfect album, or even the best Foo Fighters album in my opinion, but it is a damn good rock album. The Foo Fighters usually change things up from album to album. Some people like the balls out rock, while others like them when they lean toward pop, and still others like the acoustic Foos. This album has a little of everything. So if you like Dave screaming his voice out, then there is a song or two for you. A number of really catchy songs, I really enjoyed the album all the way through. The only exception was the last track "Home", which is just Dave and a piano. That one kind of dragged for me. Other than that, terrific classic rock album. One quick note is that if you buy the album from iTunes you will get a bonus track "Once & for All".

38 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Their best in a long time., September 25, 2007

By 

A. Estes (Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (Audio CD)

Perhaps we've all accepted the cold, hard fact that the Foo Fighters' best days are behind them. Afterall, their last two albums -- 2005's "In Your Honor" and 2002's "One By One" -- were a bit lopsided, unimaginitive and appeared to be incomplete. Despite the fact that they haven't completely lost their knack for making great music, as those albums contain some real nuggets, it has become apparent that they may never recapture the magic of the beloved sophmore album, "The Colour And The Shape," or even 1999's slightly underrated "There Is Nothing Left To Lose." Maybe Dave Grohl and company have come to realize this as well, and that's why they reteamed with Gil Norton (who produced "The Colour And The Shape") and have crafted their broadest and most "classic" album since the turn of the century: "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace."

Opening with "The Pretender," which is possibly their most instantly gratifying single since "Monkey Wrench," Foo Fighters get this album off to a rocking start, engaging the listener and getting them primed for what is perhaps the most experimental of their material. One can't help but notice the classic rock influence on the album, and it's quite obvious that while making the album, they wanted something that will live on past it's time. An album that future generations can discover and relate to. On that end, they succeed. Thankfully, the band pries it's sound wide open enough that portions of the album, such as "Stranger Things Have Happened," "Statues" and "Home," fall under the Foo umbrella, yet sound unlike anything the band has done before, making this perhaps the farthest reaching album of their career, appealing to fans both young and old. It's unfortunate, then, that the band can't help but slip into autopilot as they sometimes do, and in turn, songs like "Erase/Replace" and -- gotta love this song title -- "Cheer Up Boys (Your Make Up Is Running)" are just standard b-side tunes that don't do much to help the album. But for the most part, the album is a smashing success. It retains the core Foo sound while broadening it's range and crafting some timeless tunes. For sure, this is the album that "In Your Honor" could have been, had they not chosen to seperate the two different styles on two different discs.

While not being quite the perfect album or the massive creative comeback, it's definitely the best thing they have done in a good long while. Those expecting the arena-rock of Foo Fighters' past might be disappointed to find a more mature sound, but anyone willing to give it a few solid spins will see it's brilliance.