QOTSA Villains: New Album of The Week

  

  So I meant to write this Friday when the album officially released, but being one of the few people

who did not listen to it when it leaked I was caught rather flat footed. Now I've done quick

turnarounds before, particularly with the How Did We Get So Dark review; the difference there was

that I knew exactly what my thoughts were after two listens. With Villains however, it's taken me a

little longer to get a grasp on this thing. This album features some of my favorite QOTSA songs of

all time as well as some that I can't stand.

  Starting off we get a slow Stranger Things synth filled buildup that quickly turns into funk and

fuzzy masterpiece Feet Don't Fail Me. Mark Ronson's style is all over this track, with the heavy

compression and retro styling he is known for blending with QOTSA's Stoner Rock filth. This is

precisely what I was expecting after hearing The Way You Used To Do as the lead single. This song

also features a really slick solo and a dynamic end that fades out before turning into aforementioned

The Way You Used To Do (review here).

  After a strong start we go into a somewhat darker track called Domesticated Animals. This track is

filled to the brim with the snark and wit that Josh Homme is known for, featuring cynical lines that

explore themes of dominance and power. The chorus seems to be commentary on the cyclical nature

of power and freedom; every revolution just leads to another leader to revolt against

(as illustrated below)

The songs' mysterious feeling is aided by it's 7/8 time signature adding an off kilter rhythm to it.

Homme appears to be using the metaphor of domesticated animals to allude to the way people

are essentially tamed by their leaders and governments.

 The next track Fortress is one of my favorite songs on the album and is by far the most touching

thing I have ever heard from QOTSA. The song uses the metaphor of the heart as a fortress at first,

describing how people hide away their true feelings by locking their heart away. The metaphor can

then be linked to the first chorus with the line "every fortress falls" relating to a broken heart. At the

same time the rest of the song seems to be talking in terms of more general hardship and darkness,

likely referencing Homme's own depression.

Where the song takes a really touching turn is when you realize that at least part of the song is

written to Homme's children, with the lines,"...I pray you won't feel as alone as I have felt...I tell you

the awful truth, Everyone faces darkness on their own, As I have done, so will you" being particularly

heartbreaking. Homme then wraps it up by simply letting them know that even if their Fortress falls

they are always safe in his.

 Following that emotional strong point is the track that only QOTSA could record, a slightly insane

track called Head Like A Haunted House. This song features Homme doing his best Elvis / Michael

Poulsen from Volbeat impersonation over the rest of the bands take on  Psychobilly. I've heard some

people say the track feels out of place on this album, but I think it works perfectly as a call back to

the more typical QOTSA sound. While this song is fun and pretty solid, the same can't be said for

most of this album's second half.

  Despite the strength of the album up to now, I just can't get in to any of the last 4 tracks except for

The Evil Has Landed (review here.)  Un-Reborn Again and Hideaway are forgettable and Villains of

Circumstance is just kind of okay. So yeah, in total this album is pretty awesome; even though I don't

like most of the the second half of the album, the first half is so good I'm still recommending it. Plus

I understand my opinion on those 3 songs might not be in the majority here, so give it a listen for

yourself.

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Legends Sleeping With Sirens: An Album a Day

An Album a Day is posted 5 days a week, Monday- Friday

Add another one to the list of decent rock bands selling out and turning pop sounding. Legends by Sleeping With Sirens is a legitimate sellout as it was done for the USA olympic team. The biggest issue is that rather than having a more commercial version of their usual style they completely disregarded any and all rock and metal influence to make a generic as all hell pop single that doesn't even sound like the same band.

I'm not going to act like Sleeping With Sirens were all that great before this track, but at least they had a style and identity. Similarly to the band Issues they mixed pop elements in with a hard rock and metalcore sound. Again, this combination was never one I particularly liked but at least they had a legitimate and interesting sound. One of the fee tracks I like from them is called We Like It Loud and features the irony filled lyrics “sell us the world but we ain't selling out”.

As a power pop track this one isn’t too bad, especially when compared to most of what get’s played on the radio these days. The synths are kind of cool and the real drums are a nice touch to keep it from being exactly like everything else on pop radio. Aside from the generic lyrics, the biggest problem on this track are the vocals. Even if you’re not a fan of this band, you have to admit Kellin Quinn has a pretty incredible voice; on this track his voice is so dull and lifeless I wasn’t even sure it was him at first.

Now, this isn't the first commercial pop sounding track they've done, pop influence has always been part of their sound. Given that they walk between pop and metal it's entirely possible this isn't their new sound but simply a one off track. But even compared to their other softer tracks this one is terrible, being devoid of any of the hallmarks of their sound. A track like Heroine works so much better for a poppier/ radio friendly song because it mixes the rock elements in.

While I've never been a fan of these guys I'll admit that they have a lot of potential and I'd hate to see them continue in the direction of a track like Legends. I've actually found a few songs from their last album Madness that I enjoy. I think a sound that is somewhere between Avenged Sevenfold, Bring Me The Horizon and radio rock is a much better fit for these guys than sellout power pop.

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Greta Van Fleet Black Smoke Rising: An Album a Day

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    Today we’re looking at a band with a very familiar sounding lead singer. The band is called Greta Van Fleet, they are a blues based hard rock band from Frankenmuth, Michigan. The band consists of three brothers, Sam, Jake and Josh Kiszka as well as drummer Danny Wagner. The band’s overall style is blues and folk based hard rock, with obvious classic rock influence from bands like AC/DC and Led Zeppelin.

    While they are a pretty good rock band in their own right, the thing that really sets them apart is lead singer Josh Kiszka’s vocals. When I say it’s obvious they are influenced by Led Zeppelin, I mean it; Josh sounds almost identical to Robert Plant. While there are plenty of singers who try to sound like Plant, or have a similar vocal range to him, Josh Kiszka sounds like he could actually be Robert Plant at times. The track Flower Power is particularly impressive as the whole band gets into a very Zeppeliny sound.

    So far they have only released one EP, entitled Black Smoke Rising so we’re going to look at those four tracks. The first song Highway Tune is driven by a southern blues guitar riff that is somewhere between classic rockers like the Allman Brothers and something newer like The Black Keys. This is probably the most modern sounding song on the EP, with Josh utilizing a rapid fire staccato singing style on this one. Another thing to note about this band is how huge the drums sound on every track, and unlike Imagine Dragons they sound like actual mic’d up drums and not samples.

On track 2, Safari Song  Josh starts sounding almost identical to Robert Plant and the music matches the classic rock delivery. The frantic guitar and basslines hold the song together while Wagner plays fills through the majority of the verses, dancing from one end of his kit to the next. These guys have nailed the sloppy and loose feel that Zeppelin had, which is in stark contrast to the tight and overly perfect music of today. The guitar solos on this EP have a primal energy to them as Jake Kiszka plays in a very loose way that fits the style of music perfectly and keeps the sloppy feel of the EP.

Next we have the dynamic Flower Power which is the most Led Zeppelin track on the EP, complete with mildly nonsensical fantasy lyrics. The use of organ and tambourine adds the folk element that they were missing and also adds an element of progression so that when the song exploded into a raw guitar solo it feels like a gut punch. Speaking of which, this solo is the best guitar moment on the album as it is sandwiched by two much softer parts and just rips the song to pieces. Jake Kiszka’s loose and raw soloing works the best on this track as it has all of the momentum and buildup of the song behind it.

The last track which is also the title track is the song that sounds the most like a classic rock inspired song and not like something that came out in the 70s. While the Led Zeppelin elements are still there, this song doesn’t sound like something Zeppelin would do. There is a certain twanginess to Josh’s vocals here that lends a bluegrass or country element to their sound. While the track itself might not be the best on the EP, I believe it is the one that best represents these guys own sound, aside from the classic rock bands they listen to.

To be clear, these guys aren’t a Zeppelin tribute band, if you want that go listen to SoZo. But there are a lot of similarities between their sound and Zeppelin’s, especially the lead vocals. I think this is a damn fine EP, and I can’t wait to hear their full album. It will be cool to see if they branch off and explore their own sound more or delve further into the classic rock sound. Either way, check these guys out.
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Nickelback Feed The Machine: An Album a Day

An Album a Day is posted 5 days a week, Monday-Friday

So I've never really had an issue with Nickelback, I mean photograph was terrible but they've had some good songs too. How You Remind Me, Next Contestant and even Lullaby from their newer albums are just a few of the genuinely good songs they've done. I think we were all spoiled when we thought that Nickelback was the worst music could get, I don't know about anyone else but I'd love more radio rock on top 40 stations. With that said I understand that Nickelback are a mediocre band, so when I saw some people saying their new album was pretty good I was intrigued.

I had heard the title track already from when they first put it up on YouTube and to say NickelDjent surprised me is putting it lightly. I got to imagine that someone realized they were playing low tunings through the same digital amps that every djent band uses and decided to make the most of it. The heavier modern metal guitar sound and huge drums are found throughout this album and they make some bad songs sound good.

A good example of the music saving a mediocre song is with For The River, a decent premise that is made so much better by the drums and the two shred solos. A lot of people say their last album was where they stopped trying, well if that's the case this is where they started again. Even when the lyrics aren't great the musicianship is actually pretty good on this album.

A track I rather enjoy is Must Be Nice, which uses various nursery rhymes and children's stories before the chorus proclaims that whoever is being attacked live in a fairy tale. The use of nursery rhymes reminds me of Shoots and Ladders by Korn which featured Jonathan Davis’ twisted singing of various nursery rhymes. Must Be Nice is also one of the vaguely political tracks on the album, along with Silent Majority and Feed The Machine.

That's right folks, in between the semi country songs and typical radio friendly songs we have political Nickelback. And they do politics exactly the way you would expect a commercial band like Nickelback to do it, by generalizing. There political tirades are general enough that you can insert whatever political affiliation you want.

Feed The Machine can just as easily be about the corporate machine of Donald Trump or the political one of Hillary Clinton. Perhaps it's against political parties in general and supports anarchy or it's referencing the evil health care companies and wants single payer health care. It can literally work for any political cause. The track Silent Majority is similarly vague, although the title lends itself to Trump voters who see themselves as marginalised it can also work for members of minorities or small political parties.

Overall though, like I said with Viva La Vida, I actually prefer these type of political songs in general. That way I don't have to really think about politics when I listen to music, it's just there like, yeah it is bad when people do bad things. Muse are also big on this, making protest songs that can be applied to most causes.

This album is pretty good for the most part, certainly better than a lot of Nickelback’s other music. The hard rock/ metal edge works well on this album, making them sound like a legitimate rock band, and the guitar solos are actually pretty good. Feed The Machine overall reminds me of a mediocre rock album from the 80s, with the huge drums and mild metal influences on top of a commercial album.

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Islander Power Under Control: An Album A Day

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   Islander are an interesting band; their first album, Violence and Destruction was almost entirely one of nu metal revival, complete with a guest spot by POD front man Sonny Sandoval. But after literally the entire band left except for lead singer Mikey Carvajal, Islander’s sound also evolved, incorporating punk, alternative, ska punk, hip hop and modern metal into their sound. The album that came out of this mixing of genres was Power Under Control, which for my money is head and shoulders better than their debut.

    The lineup for this album consisted of JR Bareis on guitar, Arin Illejay on drums and Ezekiel Vasquez playing bass. Bareis is the current lead singer and guitarist for KoRn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch’s solo project, Illejay was the second drummer for Avenged Sevenfold and Vasquez was the bass player for alt rockers ForeverAtLast. Given the eclectic styles and influences each of these artists brings, not to mention the clear Deftones influence on Carvajal, it’s no wonder the album contains so many genres.

    The first thing I can say about Islander is that Carvajal is one of the greatest front men in the modern rock and metal scenes. First off, this guy have like 15 different ways of singing, ranging from death growls and screaming to legitimately good rap vocals, amazing cleans and a unique style that borrows from Che without being a rip off. On top of that, Carvajal owns every crowd that he plays in front of live, combining raw charisma with singing ability and a knack for never looking lost during instrumental breaks.

    The album as a whole is something that must be experienced in one sitting, while many songs are great on their own they all work better within the context of the album. Tracks like Darkness, Bad Guy, Think It Over and Casket work great as stand alone songs, but work way better within the semi narrative of the album. While there is no definite story, the placement of each song seems to have a general flow from a sinner lost in darkness to someone who has found meaning in life.

    Islander, similarly to Twenty One Pilots have songs that are filled with vague Christian themes and spiritual elements. These themes likely stem from Carvajal’s faith, who like Tyler Joseph is not interested in making Christian Rock music but doesn’t shy away from putting those themes into his lyrics. This is one of the better bands at writing songs that can be enjoyed both from a Christian perspective or just from rock or metal fan perspective.

    Some of the best moments on this album come from songs like Devil Red, Beelzebub and Casket that haphazardly switch from alternative rock tracks into full on metal songs before switching back again. The sharp contrast between Beelzebub’s xylophone driven sound to the harsh vocals and metal guitar on the climax is amazing and perfectly sums up the feel of this album. There are also elements of reggae and ska punk on this album that are played much straighter than the Papa Roach/ POD esque reggae nu metal of their first album.

    Calling this album nu metal doesn’t really feel right, but ultimately I don’t know what else to label this as. I feel like the Deftones’ influence is definitely felt here in the way that the album has an almost progressive feel that is too big for the nu metal moniker. Power Under Control also features some really slick production that allows soft tracks like Bad Guy to feel just as powerful as Green Slime Man or Darkness.

    This album overall is a masterpiece and a testament to what a creative and talented band can do with the much maligned nu metal genre. I truly believe if this album had came out in 2001 that Islander would be one of the biggest bands of the nu metal scene. It will be interesting to see if we get a third album from these guys and what it sounds like, especially since Carvajal and the rest of the band that were on this album have amicable split.

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Queens Of The Stone Age The Way We Used To: An Album a Day

An Album a Day is posted 5 days a week, Monday-Friday

   

     The first single off of Queens Of The Stone Age’s forthcoming album Villians (Which is most certainly not being produced by Mark Ronson) is everything you’d expect from this crew. The Way You Used To Do is filled to the brim with fuzzy as all hell guitar riffing mixed with the demented crooning of Josh Homme. These elements are matched with a powerful bassline and set to a catchy swing beat you can easily dance to. This filthy mix of trashiness and soul all set to a beat you can dance to feels right at home in the Queens’ catalogue.

    Ronson’s production touches can be felt in the handclaps used to keep time as well as on the absolutely pristine compression used to focus Homme’s fuzzy guitar into a garrote wire. The song isn’t so different from previous tracks the Queens’ have done, reminding me a lot of a swung version of My God Is The Sun from their last album, ...Like Clockwork. If this any indication of a prevailing style on the rest of the album then I’m very interested in hearing the rest of Villians.

    The only real negatives I can find in this track is that the drums are a bit buried in the mix, but they do blend in with the handclaps pretty seamlessly, one of the many signs of good production by Ronson. The production value is pretty high on this track, adding polish without losing the very messy and trashy sound that Queens’ are known for. I was particularly impressed with the way that the various guitar tracks both blend together and can be heard apart from each other very well, with the bass line being clearly felt and heard as well. With the amount of fuzz and instrumentation from this band it would very easy to lose the individual instruments.

    This song likely isn’t going to bring in any new fans, and it isn’t supposed to. This is a song for the fans and in all likelihood the album will also be. Homme and co. have never really seemed to be bothered too much with the idea of mainstream success or doing anything besides making bluesy stoner rock for themselves and whoever would listen. By all accounts, Villians will do exactly that, just maybe with some handclaps and horn sections courtesy of Mark Ronson.

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Royal Blood How Did We Get So Dark?: An Album A Day

An Album A Day is published 5 days a week Monday-Friday

    After the near perfect album that was Royal Blood’s debut I was hardly able to wait for How Did We Get So Dark? to release. I literally listened to this album at 12:01 when it became available on Google Play Music and have spun it three more times since. This album is fantastic, although it is a little bit different than what I was expecting from Royal Blood.

    My biggest complaint with this album is that the weakest tracks are all towards the beginning of record. The title track is a legitimately good opener but then Lights Out and I Only Lie When I Love You are the two weakest tracks on the album. Lights Out isn’t bad, it’s just kind of boring to me; after only hearing it a handful of times it already feels like it’s been overplayed. I Only Lie When I Love You has really poppy sounding vocals and production, although  I will admit it gets slightly better everytime I listen to it.

    She’s Creeping is a mixed bag that I’m not really sure what to make of, I think I like it but it doesn’t move me the way some of the later tracks do. The main riff and use of a major scale on the chorus is actually really cool, but it lacks the energy of their other tracks. On top of that they do one of my most hated musical tropes on this track; the fakeout buildup. The bridge is entirely a buildup that after 30 seconds just goes back into the chorus.

    Track 5, Look Like You Know is where the album starts to pick up steam and never slow back down. Look Like You Know has a some really nice melodies over the top of the brutal pounding bass playing, with Kerr’s affected vocals working really well in the context of this song. The next track Where Are You Now reminds me of The Black Keys and The White Stripes, having that really steady punk blues trashy feel both bands are known for. There are a few breaks that bring to mind Muse or Queens of The Stone Age, but even with all of these elements the track is 100% Royal Blood.

    The last 4 tracks are far and away the strongest ones on the album and well worth the wait. Don’t Tell is a powerfully thick stoner rock track that shows what Royal Blood do with a slower song. Kerr’s falsetto vocals on the chorus are of particular mention, especially in contrast to the thick bass riff underneath him. The buildup to the bridge is well executed and gives a smooth transition to the crescendo of the bluesy bass solo that leads back into the final chorus.

    Hook, Line and Sinker is the track that is the most like the songs off of their first album and also one of the strongest on this album. The way that the vocals and the bass follow each other throughout the verses and chorus give the feel of a musician who is fully in sync with his instrument. One of the common threads I’m finding throughout this album is that I really enjoy Kerr’s falsetto vocals, it's likely the contrast against the thick bass riffs and pounding drums that I enjoy so much.

    Hole In Your Heart is probably the coolest track on the album as it features Mike Kerr playing electric piano on the verses before shifting back to bass on the choruses. While he’s just pounding out chords on the piano while he sings over it, the piano adds another layer to the track that I honestly wouldn’t have expected to work this well. A small detail that I applaud them for is closing the track back out with the electric piano as well instead of just going full rocker until the end.

    The closing track Sleep is really the only song that could close this album out as it does the job perfectly. The main bass riff in this song has a neo classical vibe that wouldn’t sound out of place if played by a string section. It’s a very dramatic riff that builds tension behind the vocals. The reason why this track is the perfect closer though is the way that it fades out for the last 40 seconds, with short bass stabs (reminiscent of a cello) as the only accompaniment to Kerr’s vocals as the track fades out.

    Overall this album is great, even with the weaker moments early on. With a band that I know I’ll listen to the whole album I’d prefer the weaker stuff first so that it gets better as I listen, but to anybody who isn’t a fan it could be a deterrent to keep listening. It’s difficult to compare this album to their first one because where it was solid all the way through this one has highs and lows.

    The first album was a pretty steady level of rock all the way through and it was great because of it. This album has songs that are better and worse than a lot of their first album, and by law of averages probably winds up about even. If the entire album sounded like the second half it wouldn’t even be close as to which was better, but tracks 2-4 drag it down to just as good as their debut.

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Royal Blood: An Album A Day

An Album A Day is published 5 days a week Monday-Friday

There are very few bands that have something truly unique or unusual about them as most bands simply imitate their heroes. Royal Blood are a band that actually feels truly new and unique, paying homage to their heroes without ever just copying them. While many would point to the somewhat gimmicky duo structure or lack of guitarist as an explanation why. While their ability to stand out is helped by the oddity of being a bass and drums only duo, their uniqueness extends far beyond any aesthetic qualities.

Some of the bands that lead singer/bassist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher agree have influenced their sound include Queens of The Stone Age, Muse and The Dead Weather. Kerr cited the song No One Knows by Queens of The Stone Age as being the track that made him realize he could be a rock singer, as Josh Homme’s crooning seemed attainable. Kerr said that the powerhouse singers commonly found in rock music had made him believe he wasn't good enough to be a lead singer, but hearing Homme croon over music that would feel at home in a metal track showed him a way to be a rock singer he had never considered.

Kerr has also stated in interviews that Chris Wolstenholme of Muse was part of the inspiration for his complex bass setup. Wolstenholme utilizes a combination of bass and guitar equipment to allow him fill out the mix better underneath Matt Bellamy's vocals and lead guitar playing. Kerr takes a similar approach to filling out the mix in Royal Blood, using a mix of guitar and bass amplifiers to produce both bass frequencies and the mid range associated with electric guitar. This setup along with some octave pedals are what allow Kerr to simultaneously sound like he's playing bass and guitar with only one instrument.

The influence taken from The Dead Weather is mostly seen in the way that Kerr and Thatcher throw different genres into each song. Some of the elements specifically taken from The Dead Weather include funk and rap inspired drum beats and the rapid fire singing that Jack White and Alison Mosshart both make use of. This heavy syncopation and rhythmic singing style can be found all over Royal Blood's debut album and it adds a lot of tension and attitude to their music.

Despite utilizing elements from all of these bands and others, what Royal Blood delivers is something really interesting and unique. Kerr’s gear choice is something that many wannabe musicians, myself included, have spent hours researching, but in the end what makes his sound so great is what he plays. While most of the bass playing is shockingly simple, every song oozes cool and style. Kerr's convey a disinterested swagger that plays perfectly over the thick and aggressive bass riffs.

Songs like Ten Tonne Skeleton and Better Strangers balance powerful riffing and an almost sarcastic attitude on the vocals perfectly. The other thing that is huge throughout this album is just how good of a drummer Ben Thatcher is; unlike The White Stripes, the drummer is the superior musician in this duo. Whether keeping time or playing complex fills and solos he always fits the song and is never distracting, even when playing extremely technical parts.

It's easy to see why guys like Dave Grohl, Jimmy Page and The Arctic Monkeys have been so high on these guys. Like all great duos, Kerr and Thatcher have learned how to use their limitations and, to quote Kerr “take the weird way round.” Do yourself a favor and go check this album out, and keep an ear out for these guys’ second album How Did We Get So Dark? that drops tomorrow (6/16).


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Demon Hunter Outlive: An Album A Day

An Album A Day is posted 5 days a week, Monday-Friday

Before we get started with talking about the album, a little background. Demon Hunter are one of the only staples of the Christian Metal scene, think of them as Skillet’s bigger and burlier little brother. Over the years Demon Hunter have garnered respect within both the Christian and regular metal scenes for making quality music and not trying to hide their Christianity behind metaphors and bland lyrics.

    The two main elements of Demon Hunter’s sound for most of their careers has been face melting metal sections offset by extremely catchy and melodic interludes. After their last album Extremist had a few too many of those melodic sections, Demon Hunter have returned with a much more balanced approach on their 2017 release Outlive (stylized as Ovtlive)

    The album opens up in typical Demon Hunter fashion with a build up in the form of Trying Times. The opening track has lead singer Ryan Clark’s multi tracked vocals echoing over huge drums and guitars in a nice mix of heavy and serene. Trying Times goes straight into one of the heaviest tracks on the album Jesus Wept, a track that sounds like Slipknot mixed with some death metal elements. The lyrics here are based upon John 11:35 which is part of the story of Lazarus and states rather plainly “Jesus Wept”.

    One of my favorite things on this album is that Demon Hunter has decided to add synths straight out of Stranger Things and heavy guitars to their softer songs, giving the entire album a very rich and dynamic sound. Songs like Died In My Sleep and Raining Down have entirely clean vocals, but also feature Djent inspired guitar riffing, fast paced drums and polished old school synths.

    Not only is the production and musicianship on this album superb, but it feels like an actual record and not simply a collection of songs. Each song either fades into the next directly (such as Trying Times into Jesus Wept) or by switching tone at the end of one song to fit the beginning of the next (such as The End into One Less).

    The album closes out with Slight The Odds, a track which has a nearly one minute fade from only a string section into the full band in a very smooth transition that sees the strings stick around for the entirety of the song. The blending of symphonic and metal elements works well under Clark’s vocals before the entire track fades out to just the strings again.

    Overall Outlive is an excellent album that features some of the best production on a metal album I’ve heard in awhile. Each instrument is clearly audible and there's never a point where the heaviness of the guitars makes the note clarity suffer. Furthermore, the use of synths, strings and piano parts make the album feel huge and dynamic, with all of the loud and soft parts mixing together into a cohesive whole.

    While it’s certainly not the heaviest album in Demon Hunter’s catalogue, Outlive is one of the best, blending a myriad of different pieces into one complex, complete and mature album.

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Foo Fighters Release New Single "Run"

    This is how you sound modern without losing your signature style or succumbing to mediocrity (take notes Linkin Park). Run is classic Foo Fighters, having their usual mastery of dynamics while still sounding like a rock track that came out in 2017. Grohl and co. manage to avoid the two major pitfalls of rock bands this decade; ripping off a previous decade for nostalgia or going minimalist, boring and indie.

    The Foo’s take the best part of modern rock music, the pounding tribal drums of Imagine Dragons and Kongos, and throw that into a blender with their usual sound for a powerful hard rock smoothie. Those pounding drums, as well as the rest of the rhythm section serve to push the frantic pace of the verses straight into one of the Foo’s signature melodic choruses. The guitar work throughout the track isn’t overly flashy but it does exactly what the song needs, supporting the rhythm of the verses and the melody of the chorus.

    Grohl’s vocals are even more extreme than usual, going from soft and melodic in the intro to a call and response between rock singing and literal screaming on the verses. He pulls it back just enough on the chorus to keep the soft and hard dynamic going before letting loose on the next verse and bridge. In a lot of ways Grohl’s vocal performance here reminds me of The Pretender from back in 2007.

    While we live an age where all the rock gods are either dead or elderly, it’s nice to remember we can always count on Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters to carry the torch. If Run does turn out to be the lead single off of a new Foo Fighters album then maybe rock music isn’t quite dead after all.

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