Foo Fighters, Sonic Highways, review: 'the same chunky chords' If you've been watching Dave Grohl's terrific, eight-part "love letter to the history of American music" on BBC Four, then you already know the concept behind the Fighters" eighth album. In an attempt to spice up their sound, they took a road trip to eight big American cities (armed with eight wordless songs), learnt about the scene in each and hung with the local talent. Grohl then wrote city-specific lyrics just before recording each track in situ. But while Grohl-the-film-maker gets under the skin of each urban hub, locating its unique underground character and energy, Grohl-the-rocker thrashes and roars affably down the same chunky-chorded roads he's travelled for the past 20 years. I can see why he didn't want local sounds seeping in, but it's a shame that he hasn't been inspired by the musical "game-changers" he meets to take more risks within his own formula. By far the best song is Something from Nothing (about Chicago), slowly burning towards a headbanger blaze featuring an unexpected retro-funk organ. The lyrics cleverly incorporate words and ideas from each programme. But a soundtrack featuring all the oddball artists from the series would have been more interesting. Sonic Highways is out November 10 on RCA