In Honor Of Sarah

Well, it's a new week and that usually means a new CD. This week is a little different... I HAD to buy two discounted CDs that jumped out at me. For weeks I've been waiting for the new Foo Fighters ultra-pricey double disc to go on sale. Well, it finally did, along with another CD that I had been looking for. So I broke down and purchased "In Your Honor" and Aqualung's "Strange And Beautiful." So much music... and so little time to listen to it. As of now, I've only given a good listen to disc one of the Foo album.

Foo Fighters - In Your Honor (disc one): This project screams ambition. Creating an album rivaling the unique and clever Speakerboxx/Love Below, the Foo Fighters have produced a double disc album that is incongruous with the typical CD formula. The band describes the discs as "one loud and one not so loud." I didn't know what to expect by loud... but they mean loud!! Disc one, beginning with the sound of guitar feedback, builds to a powerful first scream, which takes you deep into a sea of loud rock and doesn't let you up for air. Track after track (until about track 8), The Foo sock it harder and harder to the listener. At times a scream-fest, this album is very layered and extremely well done. While not at all like the soft/acoustic music that I have preferred throughout the past year, I still found beauty in the emotion of Dave Grhol's voice-- even his screaming. Screaming, for me, is like putting mayonnaise on a choice sandwich... it just sours and ruins the entire thing for me-- but that is not the case with Grhol's vocals. With this album, the screaming is more like a tomato on a BLT: I don't prefer tomato, but it is an essential component, which in the end result makes for a very enjoyable experience. So take a big breath and dive right into this album-- it is a treat!

Disclaimer: drive with caution when listening to this CD, it has been known to pump people up and lead to speeding (and if you live in Michigan, driving 5mph over the speed limit results in a $90 ticket and a feeling of a loss of innocence)

Disc Two is predominately acoustic and needs further listens before I can give it a review. So far, my gut tells me that it's the weaker of the two discs. To be continued...