Monday, 25 March 2013

Album Review: Sound City Real to Reel


Sound City was, for lack of a better comparison, America's answer to Abbey Road Studios. It held sessions by artists such as Neil Young, Santana, Tool, and Johnny Cash and played an integral part in the conception of some the all time great rock records. After more than forty years the studio closed its doors for the last time in May 2011. Dave Grohl, of Foo Fighters and Nirvana fame, has made a documentary about studio and has assembled an all-star cast of musicians to make the soundtrack, Sound City: Real to Reel. Given the reputation of Sound City this soundtrack boasts a jaw-dropping roster. Along with Grohl and fellow Foo's Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Rami Jaffee, and Pat Smear you can find members of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Kyuss, Cheap Trick, Rage Against The Machine, and many more. This already impressive list does not even include the guest lead vocalists such as Stevie Nicks, Paul McCartney, Joshue Homme (Kyuss / Queens of the Stone Age / Them Crooked Vultures), Corey Taylor (Slipknot / Stone Sour), Trent Reznor, Chris Goss (Masters Of Reality), Rick Springfield, and Lee Ving (Fear). With this many hands in the pie, what does the album actually sound like?

In short it sounds like a soundtrack, but one that uses many of the same bands / artists / musicians on most of the songs. All of which is to be expected: Grohl has a tight-knit group of compadres and he wants to use them and as well and as often as possible which makes perfect sense. With all the star-power on board the MVP award goes to good old Joshua Homme. His two contributions to the album ('Centipede' and the emotional outro 'Mantra') are easily two of the strongest numbers on hand, further whetting our appetite for that new QOTSA album. Also faring well is one of the most talked about song on the album, 'Cut Me Some Slack'. The track is led by Paul McCartney but notably features the reunion of Grohl with his former Nirvana band mate Krist Novoselic. The song itself is a shit-kicking rock number that will undoubtedly recall the manic Helter Skelter, as all of McCartney's hard rock songs tend to do.

The major issue with this soundtrack as an album is that there seems to be far too many chefs in this kitchen and they inevitably tread on each others toes.. While some unexpected appearances add some much needed “wow” others are quite unsatisfying. When great talents like Chris “the godfather of desert rock” Goss get lost in the shuffle you know something is amiss. Just like the film itself, Real To Reel is an earnest attempt to further cement the Sound City legacy and keep it fresh in people's minds. The execution leaves a little to be desired but you cannot take away from Dave Grohl that it is a ballsy attempt at old-school rock and roll spectacle in an increasingly jaded and un-magical world.

Rating: B-
Recommended tracks: Centipede, Cut Me Some Slack

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