Album Review: Foo Fighters - 'Sonic Highways'

The Foo Fighters are one of the last remaining mainstream bands still making new, relevant material decades after their first project, so for their latest release they went extra “concept” to deliver something fresh for the airwaves. The Foos put themselves to the task of writing and recording the eight tracks of Sonic Highways in eight different cities, each song taking cultural and artistic cues from the city in which it was recorded. The idea is fantastic in theory, but as this album demonstrates, the execution of such a concept is a much more difficult feat to conquer.

The album starts off with the Chicago tribute “Something From Nothing,” one of the strongest efforts on Sonic Highways. The nods to the “city of wind” are vague enough to not come off forced to anyone unfamiliar with the references, but for those that do this is a rallying cry about picking yourself up after a major blow that anyone from the Second City can relate to. If this was the new anthem for my city of Chicago, I would not mind it one bit.

“The Feast and The Famine” sounds like One By One-era Foo Fighters with that higher pitched riff but overall the song is “deep cut” quality, which in an album of just 8 songs, sticks out like a sore thumb. “Congregation” is another track that sounds like a vintage Foo Fighters song ripped right out of the band’s mid-to-early 2000’s era, but whereas “Famine” was run-of-the-mill stuff from beginning to end, the last minute of “Congregation” features a bridge that gives it that necessary bit of character. The addition of Zac Brown answers the question: “What would the Foo Fighters sound like if they tried sounding southern?”

Halfway through the album is “What Did I Do?/God as My Witness,” featuring Gary Clark, Jr. The beauty in this song’s upbeat riffing is that it is a good change of style for the Foos. It’s not your typical fist-pumping, testosterone-fueled tune they’re known to make, but rather a sweet Rock ballad with some heart looking to inspire you to wave your lighters in the air as it fades away. “Outside” brings it back down to a more serious tone with the help of The Eagles’ guitarist Joe Walsh. This song brings to mind Blue Öyster Cult in a good way, right down to the guitar breaks and outro, but it could’ve benefited from a much more concise approach since the 5-minute plus makes the band come off as overly ambitious but with meager results.

“In The Clear” is almost a bit too tame at first glance, Grohl failing to make use of his iconic intense vocals, but all credit must be given to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band for livening this one up and delivering the spine-tingling effect we all look for in a song; the horns will make you play this on repeat. Next up is the mellow “Subterranean,” which is meant to be an ode to Seattle. Featuring Ben Gibbard, this song driven by an acoustic guitar with electric guitar accents is a good example of how a song can be appreciated for its sentimentality but cannot be elevated to “great song” status because of forced choruses. The album closes with the Joan Jett assisted song “I Am a River.” This goes all-out to reach for the arena crowds with its generous use of an arms waving-ready chorus and the epic string arrangement. And hey, I can enjoy a stadium jam as much as the next guy but seven minutes of this? Break it in half and you’ve got yourself a much better song.

The Foo Fighters had a brilliant idea with the concept for their eighth album. Creating an album from scratch in different cities throughout the country while incorporating local sonic and lyrical references was a major task, ultimately proving too much for even them. The HBO docu-series of the same name was a true masterpiece that fans of the band and casual onlookers alike can admire, but it almost seems like the band’s stroke of genius was depleted on the show and that the album only got a fraction of what Dave Grohl and co. are capable of achieving.