Review: Sound City -- Part III

If you've been keeping up with parts I and II of my Review of Dave Grohl's Sound City, you'll know that I've found a lot to praise about this documentary and it's relationship to the written word, as well.

This week, I'll be wrapping up the reviews with a look at the album Sound City: Reel to Reel, which brings together some of the biggest names in rock music. Recorded in Studio 606 (Grohl's home studio), using the legendary Neve Console, this album covers a variety of rock music sub-genres, and in doing so, reminds us that there's really not that much difference between the aesthetics of, say, Stevie Nicks and Trent Reznor. It's all rock.

The Sound City Players all-star band has been garnering a lot of positive attention lately, culminating with its final show last month as SXSW. It's the kind of one-off project that could have felt like a gimmick--noble in theory, perhaps, but weak in execution--but Grohl, celebrated music producer Butch Vig, and the rest of the contributing artists generally avoid this pitfall, putting together a solid (if not perfect) rock album in an age where rock music sometimes feels like a relic of bygone ages. Let's take a closer look at at how they accomplish this . . . .

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Note: one of the biggest knocks on this album (and justifiably so) is that it is lyrically weak. Partly, this may be due to the compressed time frame of the recording--this was not a project created by one band who has been playing together forever. The songs have not been rehearsed over the course of a touring season, and have not been digitally polished in a high budget studio after years of planning and prep. This is an album made by what is essentially, at its core, an extended group of friends, all of whom feel an affinity for old-fashioned analog recording and the folks who mastered those techniques. It was recorded with comparatively little rehearsal time, a modest budget, and one of the most unforgiving pieces of recording machinery ever made: tape. So, in the spirit of generosity (and because I like a challenge) I've tried to find at least one lyric from each track that struck me as good. It was easier in some cases than others.


Heaven and All -- The album opens with a straight-forward rocker courtesy of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's Robert Levon Been and Peter Hayes, who team up with Grohl to create a track that's a little reminiscent of The Jesus and Mary Chain. It's seedy psychedelia, and it oozes early grunge from its pores, proving that Sound City is where it's at. Best lyric: "I feel your love like a chemical burn."


Time Slowing Down -- We're keeping the psychedelic feel alive in this track that somehow manages a swirling dreaminess (like time slowing down) despite the heavily overdriven guitar parts. Chris Goss, Grohl, and Rage Against the Machine members Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk sound like they've been playing together their entire lives. A while the lyrics aren't all that special (a theme for this album), the track is definitely one I can rock out to--each of its solos better than the last. Best lyric: "And now we start the harvest, children."


You Can't Fix This -- After a few solid rockers, we hit our first big anthem. The somewhat generic lyrics paint a familiar picture of broken hearts and lost friends, employing the age old metaphor of dancing with the devil. It's the kind of song only a gypsy queen could off. Fortunately, Stevie Nicks is on hand, and her voice is so powerful and seductive that she could be singing the names out of the phone book and we'd still swoon. Backed by Grohl, fellow Foo Fighter bandmate Taylor Hawkins, and Rami Jaffee of The Wallflowers, Nicks puts in one of her best performances in years, making this spooky, atmospheric tune a real highlight. Best lyric: "The devil pours a glass of champagne / asks someone new to dance."


The Man That Never Was -- I have to admit to something: I never thought much of Rick Springfield. To this point, in my mind, he's forever been linked to that dumb and infectiously poppy tune "Jesse's Girl." This song is not Jesse's girl. It's more grown up than that, harder edged--the kind of song our old narrator might sing after he ends up dating Jesse's girl for a while only to find out that she's really hot but also kind of demeaning and generally not all that much fun to be around. Springfield, backed by Grohl, Hawkins, and the remaining members of the Foo Fighters (Nate Mendel and Pat Smear), puts in a great performance. (Turns out he's a damn fine guitar player, too!) And so it looks like I had it all wrong--you make me play the fool this time, Rick. Mea culpa! Best lyric: "Sometimes you make me play the fool / Sometimes you use me like a tool / You are the whip that drives the mule / And I bring the goods right back to you."


Your Wife Is Calling -- Former Fear front man Lee Ving takes us back to 1977 on this track, proving (at age 63) that hardcore punk doesn't give a fuck how old you are. This in-your-face track tells the humorous tale of a delinquent husband who tries to hide from his nagging wife by sneaking off to bars. (She manages to find him every time, of course.) Ving is joined by Alain Johannes (formerly of Queens of the Stoneage), as well as Grohl, Hawkins, and Smear. Best lyric: "I'll be right home dear / I'm just here with the Foo Fighters and Fear."


From Can to Can't -- Quite possibly the most powerful track on the album, and one of the most lyrically complex, this song brings the tempo back down and hits us in that little soft spot between the ribs. It's an unrelenting tune, spearheaded by Corey Taylor's vocals (Splitknot) and supported expertly by a rhythm section consisting of Grohl, guitarist Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) and bassist Scott Reeder (The Obsessed). Best lyric: "Under the water / it's cold and it's gray / my torrid autumn / another season decays"


Centipede -- Grohl, Goss, Johannes, and Queen of the Stoneage's Joshua Homme team up for this bouncy, experimental little rock jam. It's a song that's repetitive in all the right ways (I know, that sounds bad, but give it a try). If you like deep, brooding David Bowie-esque vocals with a bit of a growl to them, than this is the song for you. Best lyric: "Unpinning butterflies in the hopes they'll come alive."


A Trick With No Sleeve -- It's easy to overlook this song on the track. Grohl, Johannes, and Homme put in a solid performance musically, but it feels like one of those songs that fill out an album. (Or, perhaps, like a leftover Foo Fighters song.) That's not to say it's bad. Just probably not the song you'll have stuck in your head the rest of the day. Best lyric: "As the crow did fly / meet me here some day."


Cut Me Some Slack -- . . . And then, all of a sudden, Paul McCartney shows up. Teamed up with Grohl and his former Nirvana bandmates Krist Novocelic and Pat Smear, this seems on its surface like strange bedfellows. And then Sir Paul opens his mouth and the result is, well, kind of awesome. It's like Nirvana, if Paul McCartney had been the lead singer instead of Kurt Cobain. Or maybe The Beatles, had they been a grunge band. You can hear the cross-pollination very clearly on this bluesy track. And that's what makes it such a love-it-or-hate it track (moreso than any other song on the album). I can imagine a lot of Nirvana purists out there getting hot under the collar just imagining the former Beatle fronting Kurt's band; all I can say is reserve your judgement until you've given it a listen. Best lyric: "Oh, mama, watch me run."

If I Were Me -- Hands down, this is the best song on the album. It eats at you like a ticking clock, and Grohl's haunting and understated guitar playing is complimented perfectly by Jessy Greene's heartrending violin accompaniment. Rami Jaffee and well-respected session drummer Jim Keltner offer flawless performances (which is to say, they do such great work, you hardly notice them.) The lyrics are among the strongest on the album. And more than any other song in this collection, "If I Were Me" captures the feeling of reflective melancholy. (Every good album should have at least one song that manages that.) According to my iTunes, I've listened to this song 16 times this week. I guess that makes it a must listen. Best lyric:"If I were me, I'd wait forever / What's your hurry, what's your hurry / Never learned how to say never / What's your worry, what's your worry / Once upon a time: the end."

Mantra -- This album is one that ends on a real high-note with the song "Mantra." A collaboration between Grohl, Homme, and Nine Inch Nails veteran Trent Reznor, this is probably the most complex track on the album and certainly one of the best. The lyrics are strong. The drum beat drives us. And the piano and guitar chord progressions keep us on the edge, listening intently for all the little nuances. It's an artful piece, and Reznor's skillful use of digital mixing techniques provides a dreamy quality to the song. It's evocative and it builds until we reach a controlled explosion at the 4:45 mark and then start over one crunchy piece at a time. It's the perfect way to end this album. Best lyric: "You'll open up your eyes / and realize / how you fit / in the wild / a lion is a lion / no apologies / and a leech is a leech."

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Final Verdict: It's not a perfect album, but given what the documentary has to say about "perfection," I didn't expect it to be. It's also not an album that is going to kick-start the rock movement or even generate enough buzz to convert many young folks who've never heard of the musicians listed above. That was never it's goal. It is a fitting tribute to analog recording and to the collaborative spirit of rock music, and for anyone who loves rock music, it's a good one to add to your collection. You'll find something to love here, I promise you. There's a lot of variety between the tracks, and you'll get a certain thrill out of hearing some very recognizable voices in collaboration together. And even where the tracks break down (for instance, when the lyrics get a little trite), you'll find yourself in a forgiving mood because the music is generally solid and everyone sounds like they are committed to the moment. That's a hard feeling to convey through an album, which is what makes Reel to Reel that much sweeter.