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PO - Foo Fighters - Saint Cecilia EP


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Enjoying this a lot more than Sonic Highways on just one listen. Totally using the vinyl artwork instead of the neon sign ugliness that came with the digital.

 

Dave already confirmed season 2 of Sonic Highways. I'll be really surprised if that doesn't come out sometime in 2016 or 2017.

I actually prefer the purple artwork! The vinyl one looks a little unprofessional to me, but maybe I'm just looking at it wrong.

 

Sonic Highways II may not involve an album being recorded--it could just be a documentary. For me, the best case scenario would be music recorded and released as a compilation rather than a studio release. I loved SH, but it doesn't have the charm of an album. 

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Last album was a huge risk. Putting out a conceptual album like that, and recording it in the way they did. Dave and the rest of them are always looking for new ways to push themselves, and make something new. This "break" will be the time they take to think of that. If you read the letters on their site, Dave talks about the notebook he was given, and how he is already coming up with ideas. I'm sure the next album will push the boundaries, and we'll see a whole new Foo.

 

As far as the EP goes, I'm stoked to finally hear 7 Corners. The whole EP is solid, and it's mastered very well. It's cool to hear an old school Foo sound in a new way. All the dudes together making some meaningful songs, and releasing them for free; bitchin'. It's like the Sonic Highway b-sides, and bonus track us die hard fans have been waiting on for a long time.

 

According to the mock up on the EU site, it looks like this is going to be a 12", but it could still be a 10". We shall wait and see.

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Last album was a huge risk. Putting out a conceptual album like that, and recording it in the way they did. Dave and the rest of them are always looking for new ways to push themselves, and make something new. This "break" will be the time they take to think of that. If you read the letters on their site, Dave talks about the notebook he was given, and how he is already coming up with ideas. I'm sure the next album will push the boundaries, and we'll see a whole new Foo.

 

As far as the EP goes, I'm stoked to finally hear 7 Seconds. The whole EP is solid, and it's mastered very well. It's cool to hear an old school Foo sound in a new way. All the dudes together making some meaningful songs, and releasing them for free; bitchin'. It's like the Sonic Highway b-sides, and bonus track us die hard fans have been waiting on for a long time.

 

According to the mock up on the EU site, it looks like this is going to be a 12", but it could still be a 10". We shall wait and see.

 

As much as he joked about re-recording the self-titled, I kinda wish they would have.

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It's really interesting to read some of these opinions. S/T should NOT be re-recorded. It's perfect as it is. This band has never really taken risks, in my opinion, other than that first album (an argument could be made for LP 2 as well, certainly). That's not necessarily bad. I've never expected more from them. FF have always been little more than good radio-friendly alt rock. Some of it really good, some of it really not so good (I'm looking at you, Sonic Highways).

 

The mastering of this EP is terrible. One of the loudest I've ever heard. Check out the waveform of Savior Breath:

Hv0lt5L.jpg

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It's really interesting to read some of these opinions. S/T should NOT be re-recorded. It's perfect as it is. This band has never really taken risks, in my opinion, other than that first album (an argument could be made for LP 2 as well, certainly). That's not necessarily bad. I've never expected more from them. FF have always been little more than good radio-friendly alt rock. Some of it really good, some of it really not so good (I'm looking at you, Sonic Highways).

 

The mastering of this EP is terrible. One of the loudest I've ever heard. Check out the waveform of Savior Breath:

Hv0lt5L.jpg

 

Holy shit that is really brickwalled. Why is the "loudness war" still going on? Hopefully the vinyl master will be better, and a good rip can replace that. It's still awesome they are giving it away for free. Not a huge Foo fan, but will check it out and probably pick up a copy.

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It's really interesting to read some of these opinions. S/T should NOT be re-recorded. It's perfect as it is. This band has never really taken risks, in my opinion, other than that first album (an argument could be made for LP 2 as well, certainly). That's not necessarily bad. I've never expected more from them. FF have always been little more than good radio-friendly alt rock. Some of it really good, some of it really not so good (I'm looking at you, Sonic Highways).

 

 

 

Of course it shouldn't be.  I don't really care for Sonic Highways, and most of the last album.  I think it would be interesting though.

 

Maybe they'll re-issue it while they take their sabbatical, and include the Pocketwatch Demos.

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Yeah, risk-taking waved bye-bye to this band a long time ago. So did cover art. Yowza. Everything looks way more geared toward marketing. I'm sure that's the point, but ouch, their shit looks ignorant as fuck. What is that thing, mall-goth/Torrid superstore Foo Fighter cop badge clip art? 

 

That said, 'Sean' is kinda cool. Probably my favorite thing since The Colour and the Shape -- Not saying much. 

 

That 'Loudness' everyone is referring to is called compression. It raises levels of 'quieter' sounds to make songs sound more like video game commercials. 

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It's really interesting to read some of these opinions. S/T should NOT be re-recorded. It's perfect as it is. This band has never really taken risks, in my opinion, other than that first album (an argument could be made for LP 2 as well, certainly). That's not necessarily bad. I've never expected more from them. FF have always been little more than good radio-friendly alt rock. Some of it really good, some of it really not so good (I'm looking at you, Sonic Highways).

 

The mastering of this EP is terrible. One of the loudest I've ever heard. Check out the waveform of Savior Breath:

Hv0lt5L.jpg

Holy shit!!! I accidentally mix too loud or peak recordings sometimes but that is baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. I haven't listened to this but just looking at that, I can't imagine it is listenable whatsoever.

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Holy shit that is really brickwalled. Why is the "loudness war" still going on? Hopefully the vinyl master will be better, and a good rip can replace that. It's still awesome they are giving it away for free. Not a huge Foo fan, but will check it out and probably pick up a copy.

It's incredibly unlikely that the vinyl master will be any different. There will be a necessary volume decrease in order to cut the vinyl version which will give the illusion that it's more dynamic (especially when some proponent of digital vinyl listening rips it with low gain), but the compression will still be there. Clipping will still be audible at high volume. It's very very rare for different masters to be used between formats these days, contrary to popular rumor. The effort involved in creating alternate masters usually behooves the artist to market and explain the difference between version (see: NIN's Hesitation Marks).

 

All of this said, the master is totally listenable. It just distorts and clips unfortunately at higher volume levels. So long as you're listening on speakers or at moderate headphone volume, it sounds okay. The goodness of the songs is still there. <3 FF for good free tunes.

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My favorites are "Sean" and "The Neverending Sigh". Surprisingly good material all around, though, considering it was a quickly put together project.

 

Yeah, considering this was thrown together in a 5 or 6 days during two sessions (first weekend was main tracking, and over-dubs the second) while pretty much partying with a bunch of friends in between, and a quick mastering in protools in Austin (then finished in LA) and released for free, it's great all around. Also considering how they recorded this: A Tonelux digital recording console was set up along with some Mac computers, Neve EQs and various other outboard equipment and many microphones. The main vocal booth was set up in Grohl’s bedroom, and another in the bathroom.

 

Have you tried throwing these in with Sonic Highways and listening to it as a full album? It's pretty interesting.

 

Overall, I'm digging how each track has its own feel, and kind of highlights a different era:

+ Saint Cecilia - I think this track would have done well in Sonic Highways. It's pretty vibrant. I'm digging it.

+ Sean - very One by One. I'm really loving the quick, fast paced energy of this song. Has that old school Foo vibe.

+ Savior Breath - I could throw this on during Wasting Light and I don't think it would skip a beat. Very 'in your face'.

+ Iron Rooster - down tempo, slower, feeling like a In Your Honor b-side or an ESPG track.

+ The Neverending Sigh - We finally get '7 Corners'!

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Brick-walled or not, I think Savior Breath is some of the best Foo to come out in a while. I'd love an aggressive record like that. It really reminds me of the Pocketwatch and Self-Titled tunes. Raw, aggressive, and full of energy.

Don't get me wrong, I really dig the entire EP, but for me, that's the high mark.

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What file format is that of?

 

Just went through all the 24bit files, ouch. I won't complain since this is a free EP though. They still oddly sound good considering (when ran through a DAC and headphone amp).

Waveforms don't differ between file formats of the same source material, but since you asked, the image I posted is of the 24bit FLAC download from the FF site. Sounds okay as long as you don't turn it up.

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