It’s been quite the year for Foo Fighters, but more specifically, for Dave Grohl. After suffering a nasty broken leg that seemed to bode ill for the band’s big world tour, the group made arena-rock lemonade out of injury lemons with a ridiculous rock ’n’ roll throne Grohl designed while high on painkillers. It brought a renewed energy to the tour, with the group delivering some of the best shows of its career. The conclusion of their travels sparked a desire to document this era, and Foo Fighters have released a new EP, Saint Cecilia, which is available to download or stream for free on the band’s website.
On first listen, it sounds pretty good, like a tighter, more streamlined version of Sonic Highways with less silly lyrics. (Although that’s likely just a bonus effect of not seeing them splashed across the screen during the last five minutes of each episode.) In a long and rambling letter from Grohl accompanying the release, he discusses in detail the recording of the record at the Saint Cecilia Hotel in Austin, complete with impassioned recollections of boozy days and jokes that would make the average teen roll their eyes and say, “Just drop me off a block away from school, Dad, geez.” But that easygoing Grohl attitude also gets a somber and updated preface, as the band was one of many artists deeply affected by the events in Paris this month. He signs off with a heartfelt wish:
To all who were affected by the atrocities in Paris, loved ones and friends, our hearts go out to you and your families. We will return and celebrate life and love with you once again someday with our music. As it should be done.
The letter also teases the idea that this might be the end of Foo Fighters, at least for a while. But given the band’s last hiatus lasted all of four months, let’s not read too much into Grohl’s penchant for grandiloquence.