Foo Fighters
Saint Cecilia


3.0
good

Review

by Jordan M. EMERITUS
November 30th, 2015 | 46 replies


Release Date: 2015 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Comforting proof of Dave Grohl's songwriting abilities.

For all of its cross-platform intrigue, Sonic Highways managed to cement Dave Grohl as more of a good guy with passions than a rock musician. It's a gimmick that's carried much of Foo Fighters' career in the previous year, notable for an indulgence in covers and overcompensating thrones. Of course, Foo Fighters are often at their best when they stick to making music without gimmicks or pretense, with Saint Cecilia being nothing more than 15-minutes of pretty cool rock music.

Whilst its aesthetic of jamming together abandoned bits and pieces lends itself to Sonic Highways' compositional style, the tracks here benefit from spontaneity and verve, given that there are no rules or contexts binding material to be written within a given amount of days. At its finest moment, "The Never Ending Sigh", it's effortless in a way that the overworked Sonic Highways wasn't, working the rock song mold in a way most others manage to bungle entirely. Whilst "Something from Nothing" and "The Feast and the Famine" still managed to hit some form of acceptable rock radio format, the execution could come to feel forced or deliberate in its attempts to embody certain ideas; the songs on Saint Cecilia are unassuming and better for it. The title-track is proof of that, the sort of song that seemed so easy for Grohl to write only a few years ago, now a comforting proof of his own songwriting abilities.

Granted, it's just a toss-off EP, the sort of format casual enough to disservice the material; although it's hard to imagine under 3-minute blasts of power pop like "Sean" or "Savior Breath" ever taking up reasonable space on a Foo Fighters full-length, it deserves more than to be dropped carelessly into the annals of the internet at no cost. Despite the lack of care in its distribution, Saint Cecilia is confirmation that although Dave Grohl may continue down the path of documentarian with too many friends, there's always that chance he might come back and effortlessly bang out a pretty cool rock album.



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user ratings (205)
3.2
good
other reviews of this album
Benjamin Kuettel EMERITUS (3)
“Savior breath, cause it’s mine.”...



Comments:Add a Comment 
ExplosiveOranges
November 30th 2015


4408 Comments


edit: fixed

other than that, review looks a-okay


ExplosiveOranges
November 30th 2015


4408 Comments


brooding about how awful the walking dead season 6 midseason finale just was

y tu?

ExplosiveOranges
November 30th 2015


4408 Comments


sounds fun

oh yeah, and i started writing a new review that i'll say will take only a day or two but will actually take me a week

Manning119
November 30th 2015


80 Comments


I don't understand my relationship with Foo Fighters. Two of their albums I absolutely love (Colour and Shape and Wasting Light) which were both over a decade apart, and everything else I don't care for at all.

EvoHavok
November 30th 2015


8089 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

"Savior Breath" is so fun.

misho87
November 30th 2015


106 Comments


Wait, what? Savior Breath is power pop? :D really?

Anyway, SB is definitely the best song on this LP

Tunaboy45
November 30th 2015


18562 Comments


"it's just a toss-off EP"

And everyone loves being tossed off

Toondude10
November 30th 2015


15263 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

good rev Arcade, my thoughts exactly on this

Eldar777
November 30th 2015


214 Comments


brooding about how awful the walking dead season 6 midseason finale just was


man it was really bad, like REALLY bad.

Mutantsnowstorm
November 30th 2015


514 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Oh man, I haven't seen the finale yet, y'all are making me worried I'm gonna hate it



great review by the way, I've really been digging this

danielcardoso
November 30th 2015


11770 Comments


Great review my friend, you surpassed my review toll already but eh guess that's not surprising since I haven't put one out in ages. As for this, I won't even bother. Sonic Highways was bloody terrible.

Wizard
December 1st 2015


20564 Comments


Saint Cecilia is confirmation that although Dave Grohl may continue down the path of documentarian with too many friends, there's always that chance he might come back and effortlessly bang out a pretty cool rock album.


Really well said and I still respect the guy even though I could give two shits about his "power pop" tunes or whatever you guys are calling it these days. It's simply modern rock.

Archael
December 1st 2015


1163 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

not power pop, they're just hard rock now. not even post-grunge anymore really.

DeadGuy
December 1st 2015


1233 Comments


i didn't know they even had anything coming out

Source
December 1st 2015


19917 Comments


brooding about how awful the walking dead season 6 midseason finale just was


man it was really bad, like REALLY bad.

The Walking Dead has never been anything more than just ok, kind of like this band.

Eldar777
December 1st 2015


214 Comments


The Walking Dead has never been anything more than just ok, kind of like this band.

yeah, I agree, but at least midseason/season finales were always pretty good. but this is just boring. Like the last FF album, haven't listened to this EP yet though

Toondude10
December 1st 2015


15263 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

because Foo Fighters and The Walking Dead are totally related

DoofusWainwright
December 1st 2015


19991 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

I just skim glanced that comment as 'because Foo Fighters and The Walking Dead are totally retarded'



Thought sh*t was about to go dooooown

Sowing
Moderator
December 1st 2015


44509 Comments


Even though this is free I still don't feel bothered to listen/acquire it, which says a lot about how far down the FF have fallen on my list in recent years.

Wasting Light is still one of their best, though.

Digging: Halsey - The Great Impersonator

Toondude10
December 1st 2015


15263 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

"I just skim glanced that comment as 'because Foo Fighters and The Walking Dead are totally retarded"



c'mon, I'm not stupid enough to say that.



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