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Sonic Highways (Foo Fighters) | 2.5/5

SINGAPORE - Twisting and turning in the wind, it does seem that rock bands and pop stars need to constantly find new angles in which to engage their non-paying recording patrons in 2014. Taylor Swift (like Metallica with Napster before) attacked streaming service Spotify to raise profile for her latest album and now Foo Fighters have teamed up with HBO to produce an eight-part advertisement for their new LP, Sonic Highways. Granted, the rock documentary series has been refreshing, paying tribute to seminal bands and artists whilst acknowledging the role of key American music cities over the years. In addition, it must be said that the first track Something From Nothing has a spine-tingling quality that is memorable and worthy of attention. However, the rest of the tracks do not quite pass muster as the album does not hold up as a whole. Songs like What Did I Do/God is My Witness, Outside and In the Clear come across as filler somewhat although The Feast and The Famine and Subterranean deserve closer inspection. It is as if, Foo Fighters were caught in a bind - to be inspired by the cities/studios they visited but still somehow retaining their signature sound. Did not quite work out that way. An ambitious conceit but flawed.

SINGAPORE - Twisting and turning in the wind, it does seem that rock bands and pop stars need to constantly find new angles in which to engage their non-paying recording patrons in 2014. Taylor Swift (like Metallica with Napster before) attacked streaming service Spotify to raise profile for her latest album and now Foo Fighters have teamed up with HBO to produce an eight-part advertisement for their new LP, Sonic Highways. Granted, the rock documentary series has been refreshing, paying tribute to seminal bands and artists whilst acknowledging the role of key American music cities over the years. In addition, it must be said that the first track Something From Nothing has a spine-tingling quality that is memorable and worthy of attention. However, the rest of the tracks do not quite pass muster as the album does not hold up as a whole. Songs like What Did I Do/God is My Witness, Outside and In the Clear come across as filler somewhat although The Feast and The Famine and Subterranean deserve closer inspection. It is as if, Foo Fighters were caught in a bind - to be inspired by the cities/studios they visited but still somehow retaining their signature sound. Did not quite work out that way. An ambitious conceit but flawed.

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