Afternoon Baseball

The Foo Fighters CD, In Your Honor, is nothing but the same above-average that the Foos always deliver. Far from being the heaviest Foo album, it actually proves, like every neo-grunge act from the last 7-8 years, that alt-rock mid-1990s Metallica is actually far heavier than anyone ever realized (other than Rolling Stone, see above link) because people were too busy crucifying them.
The "heavy" part of the Foos CD shows Dave Grohl inexplicably forgetting louder is not automatically heavier. Plus the whole premise is based off the heaviness of the last album, particularly "Come Back." They just spent several months refining instead of the two weeks on the last album.
The "acoustic" CD I still need to listen to more, but that sounds much more Foo-ish, even with Norah Jones.

For an example of why you don't need a consistent album, just good track ordering:
The Killers CD is essentially the first four songs (kind of like the Foos' One By One), plus "Andy, You're A Star", but oh, what a five songs. They blow you away so decisively that you don't even care that the rest of the album is gaudy, overbearing, maudlin filler.

More proof that the 1980s ruined bands:
Blue Oyster Cult's 2001 album, Curse of the Hidden Mirror, is the best album by the band since 1976's Agents of Fortune (the album with the "Don't Fear The Reaper"/more Cowbell song). BOC has always been a bizarre band that had an amazing ability to mix in distinct dual or triple guitars, bass lines, keyboards and drums...all in the same song. Listening to many of their classics is like listening to 4 songs at once that all fit. But they always could be counted on to throw a terrrrrrrible song or two on. Not this time. Too bad that they don't sell records anymore. But they still tour.