Review Summary: “Savior breath, cause it’s mine.”
Foo Fighters have strived for more in the past five years than most bands do in their entire existences. Some projects have worked better than others, and the sudden release of
Saint Cecilia wasn’t a surprising move in that regard. Foo Fighters pay tribute to shared band members in Eagles of Death Metal, and others who experienced the terrorist attacks in Paris, France, while stylistically continuing where
Sonic Highways left off. The album’s bookends are triumphant anthems in typical Foo Fighters fashion, while “Sean” and “Savior Breath” are straight up punk rock funneled through the same sound, featuring fist pumping choruses and soloing alike. The moodier, contemplative “Iron Rooster” contains plenty of quotable lines such as
“Have you ever been drunk enough to say what you wanted to say, without no words gettin’ in the way.” Along with the expression of mourning on the Paris attacks,
Saint Cecilia is part of a statement from frontman Dave Grohl that the band will be heading on an indefinite hiatus, this penultimate song coming across as quite a nostalgic farewell statement.
If anything, the free EP is a great little surprise from an ambitious group known for delivering on the consistency if nothing else. As clichéd as it might sound,
Saint Cecilia is a celebration of music and life, much like
Sonic Highways, but perhaps on a more personal level given the context in which it was released. It really offers nothing you haven’t heard before from Grohl and co., but is a fun and meaningful listen nonetheless from a band known for trying more, if at least a little bit, than most others.
