In Your Honor, I Would Die Tonight

" There are subtleties. There are complexities. There are extremities. There are familiarities. There is orchistration. There is simplicity. There is a pile of blown speakers on the floor. There is full bottle of whiskey covered in drywall dust. There is a full bottle of whiskey covered in drywall dust that is about to disappear."
-Dave Grohl

I have a man crush on Dave Grohl. He's just a badass. When I first heard the upcoming Foo Fighters release was going to be a double album, I nearly wet my pants. One by One came out in the Fall of 2002, but that seems like ages ago. While I liked One by One a lot, I think it may be my least favorite CD in the Foo Fighters discography. However, when it first came out, I was actually proclaiming it their second best (behind The Colour and the Shape). Looking back, I think that's mostly because I was just so stoked to have new material to listen to.
Now on June 14, we get In Your Honor with 20 songs spread over 2 discs. One disc is all out rock 'n roll, while the other is sweet, soft and tender acoustic. And yes ladies and gentleman, I have already had the privilege of listening to the entire album. Dave wasn't lying when he said that the rock songs were some of the hardest stuff they'd ever done, and he sure wasn't fibbing when he said the acoustic songs would be some of the softest and most atmospheric stuff they'd ever done. They are two very very different discs That is what I have always loved about the Foo Fighters, though. They excel in making basically any type of rock song. There's the hard and edgy 'All My Life', the beautiful and serene 'Ain't it the Life', the anthemic 'Learn to Fly', the poppy and infectious 'Big Me', the unorthodox and unique 'Stacked Actors', the straight-ahead alternative 'Breakout', the ridiculously insane and nonsensical 'Watershed', and the eerie yet amazing 'Everlong'. It's all incredible stuff.
Now, I can't comment much on the acoustic side, as I've only had the opportunity to listen to it once all the way through, except to say it has 'Friend of a Friend', which was originally on the Pocketwatch demos, and that is really sweet. The reason I've only heard it once, though, is because I just can't get enough of the rock half. It's pretty damn awesome! My one complaint is that I do miss some of the fun and playfulness of the older stuff (it was almost missing on One by One), but this is some serious rock and (or) roll here. Here's a recap:

In Your Honor - The Foos definitely know how to start off an album. This thing is intense!...and easily the hardest thing the Foos have ever done. It's not 'All My Life' (One by One), but it definitely gets you pumped up for what's to come.

No Way Back - I like this song a lot, but I feel like always forget about it when thinking of my favorites on the CD. Some really cool guitar and drum arrangements.

Best of You - The first single I'm sure everyone has heard. It's simply a great song. I must say, though, that I actually don't like this song's place on the CD; I feel like its an awkward transition from "No Way Back' to this. But that's just me being picky.

DOA - Was instantly my favorite song on the album the first time I heard it. I just love songs with a 'bouncy beat' (as I like to call it). Once you hear it, I think you'll understand what I mean. I feel like it could have been ripped right off of The Colour and the Shape.

Hell - One minute and fifty seven seconds of fierce rock!

The Last Song - Probably my 2nd favorite after 'DOA'. Its kind of weird, but I could almost see Weezer singing a milder, poppier version of this.

Free Me - This is my least favorite track on the CD. It is growing on me, and I never skip it, but its probably the most derivative song on here.

Resolve - The softest song here, but it doesn't feel out of place at all. I really dig the chorus.

The Deepest Blues are Black - Another one I think could have found a happy home on The Colour and the Shape. Just a beautiful mix of the soft and the hard. I could see this being the next single.

End over End - The Foos definitely know how to finish an album, too. It joins 'New Way Home' (The Colour and the Shape), 'MIA' (There is Nothing Left to Lose), and 'Come Back' (One by One) as exceptional closing tracks that make you want to listen to the whole CD all over again.


I'll listen to the acoustic disc more over the next several weeks, but for now, I'm extremely content overplaying the rock disc to death. So, long story short...get In Your Honor. It's the best of 2005 so far. And I'm not biased....not one bit....