Singles Roundup: Foo Fighters, Ray Alder, Greta Van Fleet, & DMB

Some big names pop up in this week's roundup. Can they save the first half of this year? Let's see.

Foo Fighters - Rescued

I have to say, I'm a bit surprised to see Dave Grohl used the process of making a record to deal with the challenge of losing Taylor Hawkins. I had assumed the band would play a couple of shows, but otherwise take considerable time off to regroup. Instead, a new album is on the way, and this first single is the most excited I've been about Foo Fighters since "Wasting Light". No, it isn't a band classic, and it doesn't have the big hook to make it a radio favorite like their best work, but it sounds like what I envision Foo Fighters to be. The last couple of albums were disappointing for the way they drifted away, trying new things I didn't enjoy, but this song is a 'return to form', so to speak. I love "There Is Nothing Left To Lose", and if the rest of this album sounds as much like that era as this song does, I will be quite happy.

Ray Alder – This Hollow Shell

Ah, I wonder if the timing is a coincidence. Coming just after a Redemption album I didn't like at all, former singer Ray Alder is ready to unleash his second solo album. Like the first time around, his melancholy metal hits me much harder than his former band does without him. Yes, the song is a bit slow, but that sets the creeping melancholy in motion, and Ray's voice is absolutely perfect for that. There's something about his voice that carries that emotion so well to my ears, and he writes far better melodies when he's not dealing with the music of Fates Warning. His first album was great, and this song is just as good.

Greta Van Fleet – Meeting The Master

This one I don't get at all. I know the band wants to prove they're artists in their own right, but this is a bizarre song to try to prove that to the public with. It's long and slow, and I don't think the build ever amounts to anything. The payoff for the song is as boring as the build, and I think more conversation will be about the band's fashion than about the music. They've been trending downward ever since I first heard them, and this song doesn't give me any reason to think that trend has changed.

Dave Matthews Band – Monsters

I wasn't all that keen about the first single from the upcoming album, but this song rights the ship. It's modern DMB, which means it's often going to be softer and more somber than my memory might expect, but Dave has a way of making those songs endearing. This is one of those, where the focus is on the melody and the harmonies, and they rise to the occasion. This is a song that would fit in well with the sparse acoustic nature of "Away From The World", which being that's my favorite record of the second half of their career, is only a good thing. I'm more optimistic now than I was before hearing this song.