CREDIT: RCA RECORDS
The Foo Fighters' Saint Cecilia serves as a honourable farewell, and an unforgettable thank you to fans around the world

A greatest hits album is a defining point in any band’s career. It represents a long and successful run of chart-topping songs and a neverback- down attitude. It also signifies that a band has run out of good ideas for new music.

So what happens if that band keeps making records for another six years? They release an EP of course; a final attempt to revitalize the creative flow and squeeze out the last few drops of youthful inspiration.

The topic of this rant is unfortunately the Seattle-based rock band, the Foo Fighters. On Nov. 23, Dave Grohl and his gang of grungy ne’erdo- wells released an EP entitled Saint Cecilia.

Clearly I was a little skeptical of this album at first, but alas, it’s begun to grow on me. While their latest album, Sonic Highways, came across as somewhat lackluster and directionless, Saint Cecilia appears to reignite the energy of previous records.

Perhaps this comes from the manner in which it was crafted. While the last album was recorded in a vast assortment of studios, Saint Cecilia was put together in just one place, over the course of two weeks.

The Saint Cecilia hotel became home to the Foos during the Austin City Limits Music Festival and judging by the EP’s content, all proceeding Foo Fighters albums should be recorded amidst festivals.

At first, the lyrics come across as bland and simple, but soon turn into catchy anthems picked up by the second or third listen.

The opening track “Saint Cecilia” is perhaps more memorable than the entire Sonic Highways album combined. The song is loaded with vocal hooks and classic Foo Fighters’ guitar riffs, all the while being peppered with synthesizers.

The following song, “Sean” holds its own against the heavyweight opener of the album, featuring huge verses that back down for a playful chorus driven by crowd vocals and uniquely layered riffs. Although “Sean” seems like an unlikely hook for a powerful rock band, this song finds its place tucked between the upbeat anthems of Saint Cecilia.

The third track, “Savior Breath” is perhaps the only track that really sounds like it should be on an EP. It comes across with all the great Lo- Fi saturation of ’90s garage rock demos, equipped with charging guitars and passionate screams from Grohl. To say Lo-Fi isn’t inferring this song is bad.

The production choices help perpetuate the mood of “Savior Breath”, tactfully highlighting its strong points while masking some of the weaker ones. If this song were produced as a modern Hi-Fi 2015 rock song, it really wouldn’t be anything special.

Saint Cecilia undergoes a significant mood change with its fourth song, “Iron Rooster”. It’s by far the mellowest song on this EP, and if not for the drastic sense of variety it induces, “Iron Rooster” would be pretty boring.

Drifting into existence amidst droning ambience and acoustic guitars, it isn’t a song I’d listen to outside of a full album play-through.

The EP concludes with a cryptic song entitled “The Neverending Sigh”. It’s hard to deduce whether Grohl is singing about the livelihood of his band or of his own mortality. Either way, the message is a little ominous to say the least.

Dark lyrical content is portrayed here through a slower and darker track that hits just as hard as the EP’s earlier tunes. One final gut-busting solo brings us through to the end of Saint Cecilia as the track fades to silence.

It’s sad to think that there might not be a Foo Fighters album after Saint Cecilia. The EP was released alongside a lengthy address to fans from Grohl, thanking them for their support and alluding to an indefinite hiatus.

If anyone were to read the lyrics of Saint Cecilia, it’s easy to see Grohl’s mindset during the recording sessions. The band isn’t kidding themselves, they realize a hiatus could provide desperately needed time to find new muses and become re-energized.

Perhaps Saint Cecilia owes its credit to a condensed running time. Perhaps it was simply acknowledging that this might be their last time making a record. Perhaps it was all by some coincidence, but whatever the reason, Saint Cecilia was made with a confidence that demands to be played on repeat.

Rating: 4 out of 5