Sonic Highways

AlbumNov 09 / 20148 songs, 42m 8s
Alternative Rock
Popular

*Sonic Highways* is an album accompanying the Dave Grohl–directed documentary of the same name, which follows the Foos as they explore American music\'s roots in cities like Chicago, Austin, and Los Angeles. While Grohl\'s lyrics are lifted from interviews with greats like Buddy Guy and Dr. John, the band keep their driving alt-rock sound intact. \"Outside\" rides a gnarled punk bassline to a cathartic chorus and includes a guitar solo from Joe Walsh, while \"Congregation,\" tracked in Nashville, boasts a Southern rock crunch. With its epic, string-section grandeur, the standout \"I Am a River\" captures the resiliency of New York, the city where it was recorded.

5.6 / 10

Sonic Highways is the name of both the Foo Fighters' eighth record and an accompanying HBO series documenting its cross-country production process, wherein the band recorded each of its eight songs in a different city. The regional essence of a given song is barely perceptible without the exposition.

D+

Almost 20 years after Dave Grohl composed and recorded Foo Fighters’ self-titled debut (mostly) by himself in a week, he is releasing an eighth album that’s light years away from his band’s modest inception. Gussied up as an overzealous musical odyssey, Sonic Highways is an arena-ready album in scope, with an…

5 / 10

5 / 10

The eighth album from Seattle's rock juggernaut is a muddled affair that showcase the best and worst of Dave Grohl.

The latest album releases reviewed by the Evening Standard's music critics

7.0 / 10

In honor of their 20th anniversary as a band, the Foo Fighters decided to celebrate by reassessing their songwriting…

Check out our album review of Artist's Sonic Highways on Rolling Stone.com.

Foo Fighters are providing the map, it’s up to the audience to explore.

Nobody ever would've thought the Foo Fighters were gearing up for a hiatus following the vibrant 2011 LP Wasting Light, but the group announced just that in 2012.

5 / 10

It was there as he gleefully pounded the hell out of his drum kit in Nirvana, and it can make a stadium full of Foo Fighters fans feel like each and every one of them is Grohl's BFF.

5 / 10

Album review: Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways. The sound of a band stuck on rewind…

The US rockers’ style is uncorrupted by the experience of recording eight songs in eight US cities, writes <strong>Ally Carnwath</strong>

7 / 10

Dave Grohl and crew set up shop in US musical meccas, but the diversity of American rock gets lost in the mix, writes <strong>Tim Jonze<br><br><br></strong>

50 %

Album Reviews: Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways

4.5 / 5

Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways review: The Eccentricities and Mannerisms of American Music.

Foo Fighters's eighth album is much less impressive than its accompanying BBC Four documentary, says Helen Brown

Ignore the tricksy concept, and Dave Grohl's rockers strike again. CD review by Matthew Wright