music Foo Fighters – Saint Cecilia Shorts Coldplay – A Head Full of Dreams Usually renowned for depressing, miserable melodies, A Head Full of Dreams is a surprisingly bright album that features soaring riffs, happy dance beats and Chris Martin singing with wide-eyed positivity. They rope in some friends along the way, such as incorporating Beyoncé’s backing vocals and Noel Gallagher’s guitar on the optimistic Up&Up. Coldplay hinted that this could be their last album, and if so, they’re going out on a sustained positive note that has been all too absent throughout their career. Adele – 25 Four years on from 21, the sound of a woman soldiering through a heartbreaking romance that earned 30 million sales, the world’s most popular female artist returns with her long awaited followup. 25 finds her lamenting and celebrating the past in equal measure. The album’s nostalgic mood is the perfect fit for an artist who reaches back decades for her influences, even as her all-or-nothing urgency feels utterly modern. There’s an eclectic mix of styles and genres, such as the organ-heavy and soulful River Lea, the steeped in gospel Water Under the Bridge, sombre songs, uplifting songs, and many more. It’s all there, and she carries every note perfectly with a voice far beyond her years. Kylie Minogue – Christmas Australia’s pint-sized pop princess returns for her first festive album. It’s as warm and fuzzy as you’d expect, with holiday classics and original material alike pushed through the disco blender and overlaid with heavilyproduced vocals. The music is solid though – particularly in the duets with various stars from eras both past and present such as Frank Sinatra and Iggy Pop – and Minogue can still muster the enthusiasm and energy of her youth despite closing on half a century. What’s the story? Saint Cecilia is the result of Dave Grohl’s latest musical idea: to see if the Foos could make a recording over the course of 11 days while holed up in an Austin, Texas hotel named after the patron saint of musicians. To celebrate, they released this EP for free as a ‘thank you’ to fans before announcing a break from touring and as a way to ask people to donate money to the victims of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. Worth a listen? Unsurprisingly from this band (who have never put out a bad album) they succeed in creating five tracks that are as strong and focused as any on their last full release, Sonic Highways. The songs, some of which date back decades (such as The Neverending Sigh which is 20 years old), sound surprisingly consistent considering the recording sessions were rushed. The title track features more classic-rock licks, such as sci-fi synths and boogie riffs, while Sean is more of a traditional guitar assault. Iron Rooster is a nice change of pace with its jazzy bridge and focus on the softer side of the band’s repertoire, showing that the Foos can roll as well as rock as well as they ever did. Verdict: A reassuring refresher of the iconic band’s talents. 76 January 2016 www.bahrainthismonth.com
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk0MTkxMQ==