FOO FIGHTERS | Concrete And Gold | Album Review

If you've been listening to rock radio over the past 10-15 years, there's no way that you cannot be familiar with a band as big as Foo Fighters. Since the death of frontman Dave Grohl's former bandmate Kurt Cobain in the Nirvana days, Dave Grohl and the men who make up Foo Fighters have been thriving and delivering their distinct rock style ever since Grohl wrote nearly all of the band's self titled debut in 1995. For over two decades, the band has been pretty much everywhere and their guitar riffs and drumwork have gained multiple fans and attention from musical instrument know-it-alls everywhere. As of recent, the band has opted to find different ways to present their sound and different methods of getting it recorded and getting it out to the public, with their last album from 2014 entitled "Sonic Highways" being recorded in eight different cities, one for each track on the album. Now, as we hit 2017, the band is releasing their ninth studio album "Concrete And Gold", and of course everyone is dying to hear it. "Concrete And Gold" appears to be the Foo Fighters at their most ambitious since the double album "In Your Honor", bringing in a few pop stars to have roles on certain tracks as well as pushing themselves in how they deliver their well-known style that is easily recognizable by any fan. And for the end result, we have just what the band promises as far as sound criteria goes. 

Earlier this year, we got the first taste of the new album and the direction they were going in with the track "Run". As it may seem to some people that Foo Fighters are a little obsessed with methods of movement after having a song entitled "Walk", this track in particular is a highlight on the album for its slow paced beginning before really getting its feet going (no pun intended) with the song carrying some undeniably infectious energy during its five minute runtime. It's definitely a solid choice for a first single, especially due to the fact that this was one of the first songs written for the new album. "Run" appears as Track #2 on this album following the actual opening track "T-Shirt", which has a very short runtime of nearly 90 seconds, which is a very odd but also very clever choice as both of these songs flow into each other pretty well on the album. And since "T-Shirt" does have lyrics, it wouldn't be a crime to consider this an actual song even though due to its short runtime could be thrown off as just an introductory track. To be blunt, both songs start off this album exceptionally well and are the perfect match to describe what you'll mostly be getting throughout the album. 

To mention the various pop musicians that were involved with the making of the album, one of these appears early on in the album as the third track entitled "Make It Right". Justin Timberlake of all people provides back up vocals here and knowing that Justin was actually invited into the recording sessions of the album is kind of a weird but also unique idea. Although this track really isn't the best song on the record and overall it just comes across as OK, it's very cool and interesting to hear Justin Timberlake's vocals within a rock setting, even if it is a very brief role that's relegated to just a background vocalist. Other pop stars that make an appearance are people like Paul McCartney of The Beatles on the track "Sunday Rain", where drummer Taylor Hawkins takes over vocals, and Shawn Stockman of Boys II Men on the closing title track, which is one of the definite highlight moments of the entire album. Title tracks are especially important to get right if they're utilized on an album, and this track ends the disc with a very slow and atmospheric vibe to it almost like sludge metal was an influence that the band had in mind when writing this song. Even though, like with Timberlake on the song "Make It Right", Shawn Stockman doesn't have a big role in singing, his background vocals do add a little bit of an "umph" factor to this impressive closer. In fact, none of the guests here really have major roles, but all of them still do the best that they can, even in "Sunday Rain", when Hawkins gets his shine as a vocalist and doesn't do too shabby. 

But, when we get past all of the more ambitious tracks with all of these guests providing a different role, or musical choices that seem to add a nice turn along the road of this album, the other stuff that's on here is nothing different from the material these men have written in the past, and that's not always a bad thing. A set of highlight tracks on the disc come in the form of the second single "The Sky Is A Neighborhood" and "La Dee Da", which follows it up. "The Sky Is A Neighborhood" is probably one of the best tracks of the album for its repetition of the chorus which is used well within the track and its added orchestral element to make a unique as well as enjoyable track. "La Dee Da", a weird title for a song at first sight, is actually one of the heavier tracks on the album, and could be put along the same lines as a track like "Run" with its energy and its shouted vocals coming from Dave Grohl which reveals that he is having the time of his life when putting these songs together in the studio, especially songs like this. The energy coming from the rest of the band is also prevalent on tracks like "La Dee Da" along with a slower paced moment like "Happy Ever After (Zero Hour)", which features the most radical change in the main key from verse to chorus I've heard in a while going from F major in the verses and going to D major in the chorus. It's pretty interesting, but it works well with what Foo Fighters are doing with the song. 

There are a couple of tracks on this album that don't necessarily come up as memorable after a full listen like "Arrows" and "The Line", but for what it is, "Concrete And Gold" is another album destine to meet fans' expectations with some creative ideas that'll be destine to sit well with you and not fade into oblivion. Overall, Foo Fighters continue to show why they are one of the most popular bands in rock and will probably be for the rest of our generation. While "Concrete And Gold" may not live up to other titles Dave Grohl and company have put out such as "One By One" and "The Colour And The Shape", and as an overall album it won't blindside you left and right with impressive and life changing music that legitimately means something, it's still a feel good album and has a plethora of positives that I have to give credit to. This is the type of album that will put a smile on your face or give you an enjoyable spring in your step any time you put it in a CD player, a vinyl record, or click on a track on a streaming device or music software. And for a disc that is fun to listen to and will present that in copious amounts, there is definitely the creative angle that is utilized often, and doesn't go to waste at any point on this album. For fans of Foo Fighters, this is one to pick up, and for fans of rock music from a massive band, the appreciation for this will continue after one listen, and the yearning for more great material from the band will come. 

RATING: 7/10

What did you think about the record? Was it good? Was it bad? Let me know in the comments below. And of course, these are only my opinions. If your opinions are different, awesome! If they're similar, then that's great, too. So, don't hesitate- comment to me about it down below. Take care.