Review: Sonic Highways by Foo Fighters

Sonic Highways by Foo Fighters. First things first, general impressions, you can definitely tell they’re aging. The album feels older, Something from Nothing gives me vaguely Motorhead vibes. 

However this is definitively Foo Fighters, they’re consistently putting out great new musical ideas but without losing sight of who they are. 

The album opens very strong with the trio of Something from Nothing, the Feast and the Famine, and Congregation, and following the classic Foo Fighters album format, it goes from edgy, energetic and crunchy to a mellower, smoother sound. 

What Did I Do/God as my Witness seems out of place, it’s a closer with a fade-out (which you don’t hear too often anymore) in the exact center of the album, but a great song nonetheless. 

Here I noticed we seem to be moving backwards in time in Foo Fighters Albums, going from a “Wasting Light” sound in The Feast and the Famine, “Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace” in Congregation, to a general “Nothing Left to Lose” vibe in the second half of the album. 

Outside is fun, but definitely seems like a filler, and In the Clear reminded me why I love Dave Grohl so much. Throughout the whole album his lyrics are on point.

I also noticed, they’re also getting that “grand” sound, that the Black Keys, Fall Out Boy and OK Go suffer from, but unlike those three, Foo Fighters made it work, they didn't change their entire sound, they supplemented it. 

I loved Subterranean, and how it faded into I Am a River. I Am a River is a fantastic, if a bit repetitive, closer and again, I love how they mixed it up with the subtle guitar picking and chords, something I don’t remember ever hearing from Foo Fighters. 

The album as a whole has a very transcendental progression, starting from gritty, grounded themes, to an abstract, grand biblical ascension, and, surprisingly, the end of the album reminded me a lot of Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible album. My final rating is 9.3/10, with a footnote that says “Foo Fighters is a river, constantly changing and flowing, but still the same river.”

Change

Much has changed since my last post. Right now it is December, I have a Calculus final in about four hours. I'm wicked stressed. I've decided I need to start writing again.

So what's changed?

Well, a lot, as it turns out.

I'm officially a WUML DJ, so I'm going to start posting new album reviews as I write them, I've become more social, and a bit less of an introvert, which is part of the reason I stopped writing, and a lot of the reason I stopped gaming. I also came out as bisexual.

I've also gained a new perspective on the universe and how it works (completely because of this channel which everyone should watch, it's incredibly enlightening).

I have new friends, new places to go, new things to do, a hell of a lot has changed. I can feel myself growing as a person, and it's got me thinking, what kind of person do I want to become? Should I even aim for being a specific person or just go with the flow?

I've become more reserved in my opinions, I try to be pragmatic in my views and actions, I try to listen more than I speak, I do my best to avoid arrogance and breed humility. I'm a better student than I ever was, I think about the future a lot more, and I try to enjoy the moment whenever I can.

I'm completely aware that I will likely look back on these years as the best years of my life.

I think more, I see more, and I try to be more.

I feel myself becoming a different person. Better? Maybe. Older? Absolutely.

This post is a bit on the shorter side, but more will come.
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