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It’s time to give some love to Dave Grohl and his Foo Fighters. Sure, they received the corporate baptism of two Grammys earlier this year, but we’re talking about real love: respect fully earned, and a place in the pantheon. Grohl has been pumping out the pumped-up power-pop for 13 years now: the band’s latest — Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (Roswell) — may have one of the windiest album titles ever, but it keeps to the Foo hit-rate of at least two killer tracks per record. “Long Road to Ruin” is a charming excursion into winsome, buckskinned Cali-rock, whereas “The Pretender” is a pocket punk opera, with nearly as many movements as Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams.” Where does Grohl find the energy?

And in a related question: who will he play drums for next? When he gets behind a kit, Grohl is the John Bonham of alterna-rock, a player of genre-quaking heaviness, and his contributions have already given extraordinary boosts to Killing Joke and Queens of the Stone Age. Which faltering or temporarily drum-less act will next avail itself of his services? It just came to me: Jessica Sierra. That’s it! Pull the girl out of rehab, give her another song as good as “Unbroken,” and sit Dave on the drum throne. Victory is assured.

— James Parker

Runners-up
1_Nine Inch Nails
2_Queens of the Stone Age
3_Killswitch Engage

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