Foo Fighters – Sonic Highways | Music Review

Story by Zach Dresch

It’s been three years since Foo Fighters released their seventh album Wasting Light, and since then, fans have been clamoring in anticipation as to what the group would do next.  Would it be another back-to-basics rock album or an extension of what they are most known for, incredibly catchy modern rock songs?  With their latest release Sonic Highways, the Foos find a balance of the two, and the results are quite interesting

Without question, Sonic Highways is the most ambitious project the band has ever done.  They recorded eight different songs in eight different cities, with each city being representative of a specific time in music history that was or still is significant.  Some of the cities include Chicago, Nashville, New Orleans, and Seattle.  Also to accompany this release, an 8-part documentary series is currently airing on HBO, where the band is filmed recording each song in the respective city along with a background the city’s music history and interviews with significant artists from each city.

The overall sound of the album has the feel of a Foo Fighters album, with many great riffs packed into the overall aesthetic of the tracks.  However, there is a bit more of an experimentation with structure of the songs.  Lead single “Something From Nothing” for example, gradually builds to an epic climax with huge guitars at the end with a nice guest spot from Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen.  This is certainly one of the best tracks on the album, and it kicks off the album in a big way.

It is also worth noting that each song on the album has a different guest musician or musicians.  Some were utilized well here, and others feel a little unnecessary.  Fifth track “Outside” features a little guitar solo by Joe Walsh that feels a little uninspired, and it has a tendency to disrupt the song’s overall flow.  Same with Zac Brown’s feature on single “Congregation”.  The solo just does not work with the song as a whole, even if the song has a great feel to it.  Also the fourth track  “What Did I Do / As God As My Witness” is a really fun song, but it tends to drag a little bit, same with “Outside”.

One of the main issues I have with the album is that the songs feel a little long, and there are only eight tracks here.  The album lasts for 42 minutes and most of the songs here don’t necessarily justify their length.  I really enjoy most of the songs here being the big fan I am, but there seems to be missing something.

The best tracks here include “In the Clear” which is so incredibly catchy with a great hook in the chorus.  It is a simpler song in scope, but it is still enjoyable with New Orleans’ Preservation Hall Jazz Band accenting the song quite well with horn blasts.  “The Feast and the Famine” is a fantastic in-your-face rock song that will fit quite well in their set list on this upcoming tour. “Subterranean” is a nice almost folksy track featuring Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie, but his vocals are a little buried in the mix, and I wish they were brought out further.

“I Am a River” is a great closer as well, with a great string arrangement by Tony Visconti complimenting the song well.  This is definitely the most ambitious Foo Fighters song I have heard in a while, and it ends the album on a high note.

Overall, this is not Foo Fighters’ weakest album, but it is definitely not their best.  Since Wasting Light is one of my favorite Foo albums, my anticipation for this album was high and it didn’t quite meet my expectations.  That being said, the album is fun enough to make the experience listening to it worthwhile, but I was hoping for a little more from one of my favorite bands.  I have faith that they can knock it out of the park next time around.

Score: B-

Best Tracks: “Something From Nothing”, “Congregation”, and “In The Clear”