Foo Fighters, 'These Days,' Recalls Classic Foos – Song Review [Audio]

Foo Fighters, ‘These Days,’ Recalls Classic Foos – Song Review [Audio]

2011-10-10

Review by Anne Erickson

Foo Fighters’ new single, ‘These Days,’ evokes ‘Times Like These,’ ‘Learn to Fly’

Foo Fighters are possibly the one band of the alternative rock rebellion to relish in repeated success on the charts and on tour without a plunge in popularity. On 2011’s Wasting Light, Dave Grohl and his post-grunge players prove, indeed, that “rock is not dead,” with a fierce, colorful album that entered the Billboard 200 at an irrefutable No. 1. Now, with the band’s just-released alternative rock single, “These Days,” Foo Fighters have not only grown their sound, but they’ve also found the principal of why their music works, and it makes for what is perhaps their best single off Wasting Light yet.

“These Days” starts off with delicate finger-picked folk guitar and Grohl’s always-earnest, gruff vocals, professing, “One of these days the ground will drop out from beneath your feet / One of these days your heart will stop and play its final beat. One of these days the clocks will stop and time won’t mean a thing / One of these days their bombs will drop and silence everything.”

After a slow build, the guitars get heavier and more distorted, building to a warm, insistent chorus, packed with melody and a catchy flavor in the style of “Times Like These” and “Learn to Fly.” The lyrics in the chorus are a winner, with Grohl pleading from a personal and real place: “Easy for you to say / Your heart has never been broken / Your pride has never been stolen / Not yet not yet.” Throughout, the song continues that wide-open, lush anthemic feel, placing the melody at the vanguard, as well as Grohl’s rendering spirit.

“These Days” is one of the unassailable climaxes of Wasting Light, and it matches the truly memorable tunes from the Foos’ ‘90s and 2000s catalog, sharing their same strong, melodic bent. Grohl — whilst one of the funniest, kookiest guys alive — can still make a serious, heart-rending rock ballad. “These Days” is just that, with a sweet, melodic alt-rock turn that makes it another Foo favorite.

Ink Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Guitar Gauges