Review Summary: Take a journey across America with Dave Grohl and company.
Foo Fighters have always been an ambitious band, from 2005’s double album “In Your Honor” to recording 2011’s “Wasting Light” in Dave Grohl’s garage. The band has never backed down from a challenge and “Sonic Highways” proves to be there most ambitious project yet. All eight songs on this record were recorded in different cities in famous studios across America. The idea was every city brings its own unique style and sound to the song along with a featured artist from the city. The recording process of this album is documented in an HBO series. The program shows the history of each city’s musical roots and history. From the grit of Arlington, Virginia to the lights of Los Angeles, “Sonic Highways” is a journey across America.
Something From Nothing (Chicago, Illinois featuring Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick)
"Something From Nothing" was the first single released off of “Sonic Highways” and is possibly the best song to be found here. The song starts off with just vocals and a little guitar riff that later leads into drums and the addition of bass and more guitars. The song builds nicely throughout, slowly picking up steam till its epic conclusion. The main riff of the song will be very familiar to metal heads as it heavily borrows from Dio’s classic, “Holy Diver.” Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen lends his guitar work towards the end of the tune and is a nice addition to the already guitar heavy track.
The Feast And The Famine (Arlington, Virginia featuring Pete Stahl and Skeeter Thompson of Scream)
"The Feast And The Famine" picks up the tempo and serves as one of the record’s more aggressive songs. This aggression is only natural to Arlington and Washington D.C.’s punk rock origins. Dave Grohl screams, “Amen, it was the feast and the famine!” over the bands rapid guitar work and pounding drums. The song isn’t the greatest but comes to a nice conclusion at the end that will leave listeners satisfied.
Congregation (Nashville, Tennessee featuring Zac Brown)
"Congregation" is a song that sounds very influenced by the location it was recorded, Nashville. While it isn’t a full-blown country song it definitely features a stronger country influence than any other Foo Fighters song before it. The song showcases one of the catchiest choruses found on the album, with great vocal melody and nice backing guitar. The song gives a more laid back vibe than the previous two and is one of the album’s stronger tunes.
What Did I Do? / God As My Witness (Austin, Texas featuring Gary Clark Jr.)
“What Did I Do? / God As My Witness” is a solid song that features one of the albums strongest features. Emerging blues/rock guitarist Gary Clark Jr. lays down a great guitar solo on the song and continues to show his growth as a guitar player. The song appears to come to an end several times throughout but then picks right back up. This works well and keeps listeners on their toes throughout the song, wondering, “What’s next?”
Outside (Los Angeles, California featuring Joe Walsh of Eagles)
“Outside” is very atypical Foo Fighters. The song features a soft-spoken verse with a nice underlying guitar melody that carries through the song. The verse then builds into a catchy chorus that fans have come to expect from the band. Eagles legend, Joe Walsh also lends some nice guest guitar work to the song too, proving the legend still has it.
In The Clear (New Orleans, Louisiana featuring Preservation Hall Jazz Band)
“In The Clear” features possibly one of the most interesting features on the entire album. Preservation Hall Jazz Band lend their talents to the Foo Fighters and really spice up the song with their ensemble of brass that plays a strong backing roll in the song.
Subterranean (Seattle, Washington featuring Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie)
“Subterranean” takes Dave back to his previous band, Nirvana’s stomping grounds, Seattle. The song shares a mellow mood that never really picks up, which is slightly disappointing. It’s definitely one of the more calming moments on the album.
I Am A River (New York, New York featuring Tony Visconti and Kristeen Young)
“I Am A River” serves as the epic conclusion to “Sonic Highways.” The song is over seven minutes long and is one of the best songs on the album. Rather than rely on raw intensity “I Am A River” conveys a sense of beauty. An added string section towards the end of the song perfectly captures the beauty of the song and the record as a whole.
“Sonic Highways” showcases American culture in just over forty minutes of music. This is a record that takes a bit of work and research to “get.” Without watching the HBO series this might be a hard pill to swallow for the casual listener. Without the context behind each song shown in the series, listeners may not get all the album has to offer and this proves to be the album’s biggest flaw. But for those who do watch the TV series “Sonic Highways” will prove to be a rewarding listening experience. “Sonic Highways” isn’t just a record for fans of the Foo Fighters but a record for all music lovers.
