Film: Sound City—Real to Reel is Alive and Kicking

 

Sound City the studio may be dead, but its legend lives on.

If Dave Grohl’s Sound City documentary made the argument that analog recording has more depth and feel than digital, then the film’s soundtrack, Sound City—Real to Reel, is the proof.

Recorded on the Neve console, the album is a fitting tribute to the now extinct studio with the musicians who made the place legendary but also serves as effective pallbearers. It’s refreshing to hear this album as what is—you know, an actual album—rather than a quick cash-in that is standard in the music industry today.

While cameos and guest musicians abound, Grohl is the star of the show. If anything, Real to Reel is similar to the drummer’s other labor of love, 2004’s Probot. Each song has a different style tailored to each specific guest on the track, leading to a mix-tape feel and cause for playing on repeat. The first half offers strong character songs while the second half just immerses the listener in prowess.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club kicks off the album with a low-fi, glam rocker as Chris Goss (Masters of Reality) takes lead on “Time Slow Down.” “You Can’t Fix This” proves Stevie Nicks can still simmer in this shimmering Fleetwood Mac throwback while Rick Springfield’s “The Man That Never Was” is a gift, considering that Springfield now has three (count ‘em, three!) songs that are "can’t miss."

As mentioned, the last half is all-killer, no filler. Josh Homme’s “Centipede” sounds like a lost Queens of the Stone Age track from the Songs For The Deaf era. “If I Were Me” is just Grohl and his guitar. Beneath all the screech and feedback is an actual songwriter. The album closes with “Mantra,” an eight-minute jam with Homme, Grohl and Trent Reznor. There are more words to be said about its awesomeness but they seem to fall short. Just listen

Sonically, there is a warmth and depth to the recordings. Outside the hype the film and soundtrack has created, Real to Reel is a well-written, well-produced album that is cohesive as it is eclectic. It also might be Dave Grohl’s best work yet.