Music for Monday (1)

One of my favorite things to do, right after reading, is listen to music.  Growing up in the 90's, I was a grunge and heavy metal girl, and those influences are still very evident in what I listen to today.  My boyfriend, Dane, and I are both quite opinionated about what "good" music is, and thankfully we almost always agree.  So I've asked him to write up a little bit about music now and then to get the week started.  I hope you enjoy it!

Foo Fighters – Wasting Light

For those of you that have been living under a rock for the last fifteen years, I should inform you that the Foo Fighter’s are quite possibly the greatest rock and roll band on the planet. I only say “quite possibly” as to leave room for the small minority of those who also believe that the world is flat, the Moon Landing was a hoax and other nonsense that is hardly up for debate. This band combines the likes of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Motorhead in such a spectacular, awe inspiring manner that it is almost beyond comprehension.

Which brings me to the point (yes, I have one). Wasting Light is the culmination of a catalogue that has changed the way we live, love and look at livestock…and Mentos. Although this record may not necessarily represent the apex of their career, it is certainly a conglomeration of all that is right with what is left of rock music. Meaningful lyrics. Quiet verses, loud choruses. Roaring guitars. Powerful drums. And Dave’s scream. Much like Clapton in the late 60’s, Dave Grohl’s divinity should be indefinitely ingrained on boxcars and overpasses across the country – reminding those of us meandering throughout the post-Cobain era that there is still hope. But I digress.

Wasting Light takes you through a turbulent journey of love, loss, self-doubt and self-preservation. It’s both beautiful and loud, often at the same time. Soulful ballads give way to riff-rock in a manner that would leave you to believe that they do it, well, just because they can. Even more impressive, Wasting Light was recorded on tape (that’s right, tape). In Dave’s garage. No holds barred, no apologies – just the way it should be.

So go ahead. Do some light stretching, maybe run around the block. Hell, eat a balanced breakfast. You’re going to need it. This album is a throat-punch to the soul that the music industry so desperately needs from time to time, maybe now more than ever. In a moment in time that is dominated by the tastes of a generation who is unfamiliar with the term “Reaganomics”, this album restores faith in humanity. Wasting Light, if nothing else, reminds you that there is a place – far beyond Disney pop, past Nu Metal and lousy Hip-Hop – a land called Rock and Roll. And it is ruled with an iron fist by the Foo Fighters. This is their propaganda.