FOO Fighters have treated the fans to an early Christmas present with the release of a free download EP. The Saint Cecilia EP contains five tracks and was recorded while the band were still wrapping up their recent Sonic Highways tour.
Dave, Chris, Pat, Nate and Taylor were on a complete roll in terms of creativity and actual enjoyment (apart from the odd broken bone) of being in one of the world's best rock bands that they felt the need to bottle some of that energy – hence we have a new five-track mini album.
The release was originally intended as a thank you to Foo Fighters fans but has now rightfully been officially dedicated to the people of Paris. Saint Cecilia is the name of a hotel in Austin, Texas, where the songs were recorded and indeed the hotel takes its name from the patron saint of music.
In an open letter to accompany the new songs Dave Grohl writes:
"This project has now taken on an entirely different tone. As has everything, it seems... There is a new, hopeful intention that, even in the smallest way, perhaps these songs can bring a little light into this sometimes dark world.
"To remind us that music is life, and that hope and healing go hand in hand with song. That much can never be taken away."
Recording outside of the regular system of 'write -record-tour' in that order, can have its difficulties but it can be pulled off (U2 managed it with Zooropa) and it seems in this case that Grohl's instinct to record on the hoof was a wise one.
Of the five tracks on offer, the ones that stand out most for me on the first few listens are Savior Breath, a raging punk rock metal song that runs away at 100mph with you on its back clinging on for dear life and a song called Sean, a more laid-back grunge rock affair with one of those Grohl gravity-defying choruses that we've come to expect.
The Neverending Sigh is worth a special nod too.That song has been kicking around the Foos' cutting room floor for literally decades and had been labelled a few different names. However, it has now obviously found its feet and its true calling.
Hear it soon without denting your pocket since the EP is currently available as a free download on iTunes and a variety of streaming services.
It'll certainly fill a gap for now but it also makes me very hungry for another full-length Foos record – greedy, I know, but Foo Fighters fans have a ridiculously voracious appetite.
