"20 songs on 2 CDs
One loud.
One not so loud."

So says the sticker on the front of the CD case. What it amounts to is one CD (CD1) of standard Foo Fighters fayre, and one (CD2) of acoustic, somewhat quieter fayre. CD1 follows the style of their previous outing One By One. It features Dave Grohl's kinda gravelly, and definitely loud, vocals.

The tracks on this CD are all reasonably heavy, my favourite probably being the title In Your Honor (yeah I know, American spelling cos the Foos are American), with Best Of You a close second. Much like One By One, the tracks all bounce along at quite a pace - and they all make you want to sing along.

The second CD is a bit of a departure from their standard style. The acoustic guitar in place of electric gives the second CD a more subdued sound, and Dave Grohl sings more than he shouts. The pace of the second CD is also somewhat slower than the first. Overall, it makes for a more refined feel, and it's none the worse for it. The opening track, Still, is a good introduction to this side of the Foos - my favourite track from CD2, though, is What If I Do?.

It will certainly be interesting to see how far they take this refined sound - perhaps a fully acoustic album next? At the least, it shows they aren't content with just sticking with the same sound all the time. One By One was a difficult album to follow, but the Foo Fighters have managed pretty well. 4/5

First posted on my blog