We continue now with the letter F. Again these are in no particular order. And I’m always looking to add to the list so feel free to leave suggestions!
1. Failure
2. Faith No More
3. Fugazi
4. Far
5. Foo Fighters
6. Flaming Lips
7. Fleetwood Mac
The ability to redeem one’s self in music is a very rewarding thing to accomplish. Last year the Foo Fighters released their very disappointing album Sonic Highways. Sadly that album doesn’t have the legs (get it since Dave only had one leg on tour… shameless pun) to stand on. Thankfully during the Foo Fighters time in Austin for the Austin City Limits Festival, the band gathered at the Saint Cecilia hotel and made an EP that redeems the less fortunate previous album. The five songs on the EP are chock full of riffs from throughout the bands 20 year career. Some of the riffs and ideas have been around since the inception of the band when it was just Dave doing everything. The first song “Saint Cecilia” is 3 and a half minutes of classic Foo Fighters. “Sean” is a little fun fast paced song. “Savior Breath” is the type of rock song that the Foo’s need to base their next album on. This song is beyond a rocker and is sure to be a crowd favorite for years to come. “Iron Rooster” is the weakest song on the collection. The lead guitar parts are really sweet and full of great melodies though. Closing song “The Neverending Sigh” is the best song on the EP. This is another of those songs that needs to usher in the next Foo’s album. The sheer magnitude of bombastic rock that comes out of this song is grandiose.
The Foo’s are on the right track with this redemption EP. That’s what the name of it should have been. It’s great to see a band 20 years into their career and they still have it in them to put out quality. I really thought that with 2011’s Wasting Light, they were on the right track. Here’s to hoping they get back on that track and keep on rolling through.
Foo Fighters- Saint Cecilia:
The Foo Fighters have always put out quality videos. They never take themselves too seriously, which makes it all that much more fun. I woke up this morning with their song “All My Life” in my head and thought today I will rank their top 10 videos.
10: Rope:
9: The Pretender:
8: The One
7: My Hero:
6: All My Life:
5: Walk:
4: Big Me:
3: Long Road To Ruin:
2: Learn To Fly:
1: Everlong:
I’ll admit I was a little late to the party for Ryan Adams, but since I got put on the train I can’t get enough. A friend of mine brought this cover to my attention this morning and I had to share it. Here is Ryan Adams covering “Times Like These” by Foo Fighters.
Ryan Adams (Foo Fighters)- Times Like These:
Since the Foos recently released their 8th album, why not give their albums a ranking. Here’s the order from not their best to the best.
Sonic Highways:
Echoes Silence Patience and Grace:
In Your Honor:
Saint Cecilia:
There’s Nothing Left To Lose:
5]
Foo Fighters:
The Color And The Shape:
Wasting Light:
One By One:
When a band reaches a certain point in their career it’s hard to keep things fresh and inspired. For the bands eighth album the gents in the Foo Fighters tried something different. While the idea is a great one, the final product falls a bit flat. The idea of recording a song in a different city is a great idea. Lyrically it just falls flat. The songs feel rushed and incomplete. It’s as though the thoughts were unfinished. The show on HBO is quite interesting and full of a rich musical history. In my opinion the show is way better than the album. The albums eight songs are very hit and miss. The best song I heard on the album is a song called “Outside” which features the great Joe Walsh. This is the best song on the album hands down. This album is very disjointed and not an “album.” It’s a collection of single songs, that have no cohesiveness. Also the use of Butch Vig as a producer I think was the wrong choice. His input and methods just don’t work for what the band was trying to do, Nick Raskulinecz would have been the perfect choice. The first song “Something From Nothing” is a good track but nothing special. The whole record is nothing special. In fact I’d probably put this album towards the bottom of the list of ranking their albums. I truly thought that after how good Wasting Light was they would continue on a path similar to how that album turned out. Nice try on this one Foos.
On the scale of 1-10: I give this a 4
By: Brian Lacy
audioeclectica 