Sonic Highways (album) **

In an interview with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, he said ‘after being in a band for 20 years, the most important thing is that you continue to challenge yourself and make the process different…’ Sonic Highways consists of eight tracks recorded in eight cities with a documentary series looking into the process that leads to the creation of the new material, but it's surprising just how ordinary and familiar the new album sounds. Despite the fact we're told that there is a rich musical and historical subtext behind these songs, it appears that none of the cultural sense of place has rubbed off on the music.  Opener, ‘Something for Nothing’,  is indicative of the album’s problem; it's a loud, brash, distinctively Foo Fighters sounding song, demonstrating none of the reinvention the band claim to be striving for.

Although ‘Congregation’ has a kind-of country inspired lead guitar part and the riffing of ‘In the Clear’ has some brass band inflected ideas so we know that "this one’s the New Orleans song!” – the band simply cannot convey their inspiration in a creatively interesting way. However, the album is not entirely without moments of intrigue; ‘Outside’ - which features playing from Eagles’ guitarist Joe Walsh - has an atmospheric sense of space  and sparseness amidst the walls of guitar and drums and the same can be said of the tough, broken up and lacerating, ‘The Feast and the Famine.’

Although the concept of ‘Sonic Highways’ should have led Foo Fighters to different places, their previous effort, ‘Wasting Light’, achieved far greater results from recording in the seclusion of Dave Grohl’s garage.