Play (LP)
Dave Grohl
Amoeba Review
Dave Grohl’s newest release Play is less an album in any traditional sense and more concept piece: a single, 23-minute instrumental that somehow finds Grohl, ever the modern rock Zelig, in previously unchartered territory. Playing every single instrument on the recording, Grohl weaves together an impressive tapestry of sound. Gently delayed guitars and quiet passages alternate with massively distorted riffs over sledgehammer drums as Grohl does his darndest to provide the musical equivalent of a half hour fist pump. Is it Foo Fighters gone post-rock? Perhaps. Though its colossal length and lack of vocals undoubtedly lessen Play’s immediate accessibility, that telltale sense of melodicism reigns supreme, and those who allow themselves to be immersed within these 23 minutes will find the blueprint never grows stale. Don’t underestimate Dave Grohl’s proggy ambitions.