DVD Review: Foo Fighters "Skin and Bones" (2006)

Dave Grohl, the man behind aggressive, guitar driven 90s rock staples like "This Is A Call" and "Monkey Wrench", goes unplugged with his band the Foo Fighters in this release which was filmed in Los Angeles this past summer.

Clocking in at over two hours, accordions, triangles, xylophones, violins and mandolins are used to augment Grohl's strumming, which leads to interesting arrangements of older tunes like "Everlong" and "My Hero" alongside newer acoustic material from last year's "In Your Honor". No Rod Stewart adult contemporary schlock here, though. In keeping with the heritage of live rock, there are a ton of butts and a lot of F-bombs all throughout the performance along with references to icons like Dio, Deep Purple, and Boston as well as stories recounting the forming of Nirvana and the way that songs come together.

However, the casual and laid-back vibe of the show causes it to drag at times, especially during the mid-point, and the bored looks on the audience's faces pretty much reflect that. If you can look past that, though, this is a good if not great release that is certainly worth a look.

Overall rating: 7.75/10

Album Review: Foo Fighters - "In Your Honor" (2005)

Ever since the advent of albums, every decade has produced a defining double-length rock recording. The 60s had the White Album, the 70s Physical Graffiti, the 80s brought the Wall, and the 90s Use Your Illusion I and II. As for the 2000s, well, this isn't it, but it's not bad at all.

This project is divided into a harder and a softer half. Long-time listeners of rock radio won't be surprised by the first disc which is typical Foo ... big drums, big guitars, lots of growling by Dave Grohl. While it's a little more melodic than recent releases, unfortunately it's not as catchy as their second album, "The Colour and the Shape", but I suppose one shouldn't expect to be whistling tunes from a former member of sludgemasters extraordinaire Nirvana.

The second disc is a treat, however. It reminds me of Led Zeppelin III's lighter moments - mellow and textured rather than sparse. Lots of strings, too, which are a nice touch. It sounds like Grohl has been listening to a bit of John Mayer.

Overall rating: 7.0/10
Disc one: 5.25/10
Disc two: 8.25/10

Album Review: "Snakes and Arrows" by Rush (2007)

There's perhaps no band in all of rock n' roll that elicits strong opinions like Rush. It seems that they are either loved or hated, and even though they've only released one good album of all-original material over the last two decades - 1993's "Counterparts", with 1991's "Roll the Bones", 1997's "Test for Echo" and 2002's "Vapor Trails" ranging from fair (and that's being generous) to curled-up dog squeeze in my humble opinion - I am one of those who firmly consider this power trio to be one of Canada's national treasures, and I'm happy to say that despite their recent track record, this effort, while not a home run, is certainly a stand-up double.

Produced by Nick Raskulinecz, who has worked with the Foo Fighters and Velvet Revolver in the past, there are lots of air-guitar worthy moments on this album. Even the songs that begin sounding like a watered-down version of something you'd find on 1989's acoustically-tinged "Presto" soon turn into original, complex, amped-up and riff-laden affairs that, on the whole, don't really sound like anything Rush has ever done before, despite hints of 1978's "Hemispheres" and 1981's "Moving Pictures" from time to time. And, unlike some of their recent albums, instead of having three throwaway tracks for every standout, it's the reverse on "Snakes and Arrows" where you have three strong tunes for each lame one.

Despite being around since 1974, the boys still have a fair bit of fire in them. If you're a fan, I'd pick this one up for sure, and if you're not, well, hearing this album should cause you to afford them at least a little bit of grudging respect if you can't bring yourself to do so already. For those who are looking to get into Rush and don't know where to start, this probably isn't the best place to begin - go with "All the World's a Stage" (1976), the aforementioned "Moving Pictures" or "Counterparts" for that, but "Snakes and Arrows" is certainly closer to Rush's best output than it is to their worst.

A worthy addition to this spring's roster of new releases.

Overall rating: 7.75/10