The album Taylor Hawkins called “a Steely Dan version of Foo Fighters”
Prior to crafting Echoes, Silence, Patience And Grace, Foo Fighters‘ frontman Dave Grohl had an epiphany. In an effort to go in a new musical direction, he realised that blending two seemingly contradictory styles would achieve his goal of appealing to both sides of the band’s audience. While In Your Honor showcased their signature supercharged rock sound, the new album would find the beautiful intersection between rock and acoustic to create something as appealing as it was thought-provoking.
Echoes, Silence, Patience And Grace was a risk, and the band knew it. Instead of following a similar path to what their previous albums did, Grohl required the group to part ways with “your own comfort zone” and create something that would “push us out of there”. Considering the fact that this was to be their sixth studio album, the dangers were there in plain sight. If they failed to deliver an impactful new sound, this could signal the end of the road for Foo Fighters.
While some of the reactions to Echoes, Silence, Patience And Grace were negative, the album stands as a great addition to their discography, which is likely down to the intuitive nature of the creative process. According to Taylor Hawkins, “The only philosophy that Dave had for this record was anything goes”. The only saving grace at the time was that they had previously experienced a taste of the lighter acoustic-sounding Foo Fighters during the previous tour, which saw them blending the different elements together to suit the nature of the forthcoming album.
In Hawkins’ eyes, this enabled them to “shed some of the fear of incorporating mellower stuff with the heavy stuff,” which resulted in a much more “dynamic” sound on Echoes, Silence, Patience And Grace. Instead of jumping the shark, they created something that resonated well due to its cleanliness: a strange word considering the band’s roots and desire to often put out hardcore rock. As explained by the late drummer: “This is definitely the most pristine record we’ve made in a long time. It’s very, I don’t want to say slick, but it’s just pristine.”
Perhaps this is also why the musician likened the album to “a Steely Dan version of the Foo Fighters”. Prior to Echoes, Silence, Patience And Grace, Foo Fighters were known as the gritty, more modern reincarnation of various rock bands who came before them. Suddenly, it was clear that they had a wide range when it came to musical ability, and they could perform more considered acoustic sounds just as well as the heavier rock material.
However, while the album sounds “pristine”, nothing about the recording process points to that description. In fact, Hawkins also recalls the ways in which the band would jam out demos, which seems anything but orderly. “It’s not like everyone brings in their own demos,” Hawkins mused. “That never happens because they would just have to leave them in their car. No, Dave and I go into the studio, and I kind of work as Dave’s drum machine while we do demos. Then Nate [Mendel] and Chris [Shiflett] come in, and we round out the songs and really rehearse.”
Although the album remains somewhat polarising, it ultimately stands as a testament to Foo Fighters’ unrelenting desire to do and be better. Churning out great rock albums is good enough for some bands, but to really withstand the test of time, musicians often have to demonstrate variation. While many fall at the first hurdle, Foo Fighters’ sixth album proves their ability to adjust and adapt with time, moulding their sound to fit their audiences while remaining true to themselves.