Album review: Foo Fighters, Sonic Highways

Dave Grohl and his Foo Fighters don't quite achieve what they set out to on Sonic Highways. Photo / AP

Remember those lovable goofballs from 1995's Big Me video? Go hunt them down on YouTube - there's so much to enjoy: Dave Grohl rocking pigtails, Pat Smear's cheesy grin, and the rest of the Foo Fighters wearing matching tracksuits, acting like clowns and eating oh-so ironic "Footos" fresh mints.

It's hard to believe the same band is behind Sonic Highways, the new Foos record that comes with one hell of a grand idea: eight songs recorded in eight cities, with Grohl's lyrics inspired by interviews for an HBO series documenting the process. Even Barack Obama gets a look-in on what may be the biggest concept album ever created - one that's at complete odds with the claustrophobic intensity of 2011's Wasting Light, recorded in Grohl's garage. There's no faulting Grohl's desire to pull something like this off.

Eight albums in, the last thing anyone wants is another box-ticking record like 2007's Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace.

They're challenging themselves, and the results lead to some great moments: Grohl's searing scream piercing through the riotous finale of Something From Nothing; the punk-rock eruption of The Feast and the Famine destined to be a highlight when it echoes around Mt Smart Stadium next February; and In the Clear's chugging symphony that turns into one of those great All My Life-style Foos anthems.

Sonic Highways also works during the rare times it fulfils its promise of connecting with America's musical heritage. Something From Nothing, recorded in Chicago, includes a ridiculous funk breakdown, a searing solo from Cheap Trick's Rick Neilsen, and the great lyric, "A button on a string", taken from Grohl's interview with bluesman Buddy Guy. It rocks - hard. The inclusion of Austin-influenced lyrics on the upbeat sprawl of What Did I Do?/God As My Witness proves there are moments for trainspotters, if you look closely enough. And In the Clear's orchestral arrangements are provided by the New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band, who infuse it with a cinematic quality.

Watch the music vide for Something From Nothing by Foo Fighters:

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But there's no escaping the album's overwhelmingly earnest direction - it buries Grohl's charisma, and the band's sense of humour. Lesser moments are ponderous and workmanlike, and even though there are just eight songs, there is still filler here.

Subterranean feels like a three-minute ballad stretched to breaking point over six minutes. The same problem affects closer I Am A River, a seething slow builder recorded in New York that manages to run for an interminable seven minutes.

You can probably catch a cab quicker than that. And when Grohl sings, "Open your eyes" during the religious-tinged rock of Congregation, you can't help but wish he'd smile, wink and chew on one of those Footos mints. A few more moments like that would have made this road trip so much more appealing.

Label:

RCA /Sony

Verdict:

Dave Grohl's road trip gets a flat tyre.

- TimeOut