ALBUM REVIEW: Foo Fighters -- "Wasting Light"

Foo Fighters -- "Wasting Light"

By Ryan Leas

Leading up to the release of the Foo Fighters’ seventh album, “Wasting Light,” Dave Grohl often commented on how it was by far their heaviest disc to date. The claim is mainly accurate, though there are, as on any Foo Fighters album, still enough similarities to their past that it is not necessarily a drastic detour for the band.

Coming after the stylistic expansion of 2005’s “In Your Honor” and 2007’s “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace,” the new album does have the vibe of a back-to-basics approach. While the double album “In Your Honor” was split between rock songs and more meditative acoustic material and its follow-up “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace” tried to reconcile the two halves, “Wasting Light” features the band unapologetically favoring the hardest of their rock inclinations, entirely dismissing with the textural and stylistic detours of its immediate predecessors. Perhaps this development can partially be attributed to the fact that one-time Nirvana contributor and ex-Foos man Pat Smear has officially rejoined the band. The new three-guitar attack contributes to what is ultimately not only their most stylistically cohesive album in years, but also the one on which they sound the most vital.

Structurally and melodically, the obvious references in their back catalogue are 1995’s “Foo Fighters” and 1997’s “The Colour and the Shape.” Those two albums are often considered the band's best moments, and rightfully so. It seems with every release, the Foo Fighters are expected to return to the style of “The Colour and the Shape,” and here fans may find the band coming as close as they ever will to such a return.

Click to read more ...

PHOTO GALLERY: TITLE FIGHT AND SCENES FROM RECORD STORE DAY

Photos by Joe Petro

Photographer Joe Petro captured some of the scenes of Record Store Day, including an in-store performance by Kingston's own Title Fight, last Saturday at Gallery Of Sound's Mundy Street location in Wilkes-Barre.

  

Click to read more ...

Kiss, more to play Mountain Laurel Center

ZZ Top

The soon-to-be-re-opened Mountain Laurel Center in Bushkill has announced four shows: Kiss (July 13), comedian Larry the Cable Guy (Aug. 6), ZZ Top (Aug. 20) and Frankie Valli and The Beach Boys (Aug. 25).

Currently, the only shows with ticket information posted on Ticketmaster.com are ZZ Top and Frankie Valli/Beach Boys, both of which go on sale Thursday, April 21, at 9 a.m.

For more information, visit the Mountain Laurel Center's website.

CONCERT REVIEW: Wye Oak at Bowery Ballroom

Wye Oak

By Ryan Leas

When listening to Wye Oak’s brilliant new album “Civilian,” it is hard to imagine only two people reproducing the reverb-drenched layers of the record’s spectral shoegaze/folk blend. However, at their April 14 show at New York’s Bowery Ballroom, the duo, comprised of singer/guitarist Jenn Wasner and drummer/keyboardist Andy Stack, proved they could in fact take their music to another level in a live setting.

Despite the serious limitations yielded by having only two people on stage, the band managed to achieve a very full sound. Songs like “Holy Holy” and loping opener “The Alter”were far more visceral than their studio counterparts. The duo makes their evocative live sound possible with their flexibility and skill as musicians. Stack juggles both drum and keyboard duties, simultaneously keeping the rhythm while also playing bass lines or synth parts. Wasner, whether on album or in a live setting, is a stunning singer and guitarist. Her voice toes the line between ghostly and soulful, just as her guitar playing alternates between effects-augmented, delicate folk patterns and gritty Crazyhorse-influenced grunge riffs.

One could suspect a Nico-esque aloofness from Wasner’s beautiful detachment on the album. Despite her ethereal studio presence, Wasner turned out to be down to earth and humorous. She repeatedly thanked the crowd demurely and often joked back and forth with audience members. Even though the Bowery Ballroom is a small venue, the band seemed gracious and daunted to be headlining their own show. All of these moments gave them an earnestness that was casual and endearing, not to mention the fact that Wasner hung out in the crowd, dancing and chatting with fans during the first opening act.

Click to read more ...

RECORD STORE DAY AT MAIN STREET JUKEBOX

Main Street Jukebox

For Saturday's Record Store Day, Main Street Jukebox (606 Main St., Stroudsburg) has a lineup featuring Eric Hantson, Edelweiss, Beasts of Traal and Columboid, as well as giveaways, cappuccino from the Cheeky Monkey Coffee House and a "vinyl" cake from Mollie's restaurant.

The only performer on the bill that we've seen live is Edelweiss, and we were intrigued by the young Stroudsburg band's icy Interpol/Bloc Party textures. Below, check out a clip of Edelweiss' recent headlining set at the Knitting Factory.

Columboid includes current and former members of notable outfits Coyote, Man Man, Lewis & Clarke, Vaz and Icy Demons. They released their full-length debut "We Were One" last month on La Societe Expedeitionnaire Records. Watch their video for "Statehoarders" below.

Columboid - Statehoarders from Columboid on Vimeo.

Coyote, Man-Man, Lewis and Clarke, Vaz, and Icy Demons