Summary: [8.5/10] 2017 has been a great year for music and it will continue to be. Amongst the great new music that has been released, Concrete and Gold stands tall amongst the best and proves that the Foo Fighters still know how to rock the hardest. Finding newer inspirations, Dave Grohl has stated that he has never been so proud of an album before and I don’t blame him for feeling so proud. It is GREAT.

The Modern Gods of Rock. The Kings of Live Concerts. Lords of Rhythym. Archdukes of Melody. The Foo Fighters. Anyone who appreciates rock music in the modern day is well aware of the Foo Fighters and anyone who has seen them live is most probably in agreement that they are the greatest rock band in the world right now. Dave Grohl and the gang have released their newest album, Concrete and Gold– the follow up from 2014’s Sonic Highways and the epic 5-track EP Saint Cecilia. After surviving a barrage of break-up rumours in 2016, Foo Fighters’ fans can rejoice in what has been brought to the table in 2017…. and what has been brought to the table are some tasty treats.

Returning to a regular studio after the unique recording studios of the previous two albums, the Foo Fighters have released a perfectly unique record that still keeps the Foo Fighters unique sound. Concrete and Gold has the heaviest Foo Fighters riffs ever written, matched with the iconic Dave Grohl shout. Despite the heavier sound of some of the songs, the album is surprisingly one of the most melodically charming that the Foos have produced. This perfect combination of hard rock with harmonies and melodies is what Dave Grohl has described as the closest to his vision of what the Foo Fighters musically represent.

The 11 track album opens with a short 1m23s song titled T-Shirt. A short and sweet song whereby Dave reminds the reader of the bitter taste of reality. The song itself features a slow build into a melodic chorus followed by a Foo Fighters typical guitar riff. The intro song itself serves as a perfect build up for the album’s true opener and first single ‘Run’. Run has become one of my favourite Foo songs ever released as its a slap-in-the-face to all the modern rock bands that have gone soft over the years. Despite growing older, the Foos gave the middle finger to the idea of selling-out and produced one of their heaviest tracks to date. Similar in style to the intro song, Run starts off softly, with melodic guitar arpeggios and serene vocals. The tranquility is interrupted quickly by a kick drum, signaling something big that’s on its way… and something big does arrive. The heaviest damn Foo Fighters riff. ever. The guitar in this riff would make the shout from Monkey Wrench very proud. The song’s formula is different and I love it – Incredibly heavy rhythmic verses that feature that legendary guitar riff and Dave’s iconic shout which transition into a beautifully melodic sing-along chorus that Aerosmith would be jealous of. Not only is this song a modern-rock masterpiece, it has a pretty awesome music video as well- a bunch of old men rocking out and breaking out of an old-age home:

Being the first single of the album, Run had me immediately excited for the new album. Apart of the reason why I love this song so much is that it shows that the Foo Fighters are clearly listening to what’s around them- it fits perfectly within the 2017 rock-era. I feel like the Foos have been listening to what the newer, younger bands have been outputting and subsequently have found inspiration in these new vibes, which is now showing through in some of their own tracks.

Run is followed by my least favourite track of the album- Make It Right. I personally really, really dislike this track and have battled to even finish it but when expressing this opinion with my fellow band members and other musicians that I know, I was hurled a list of profanities and even the word “blasphemy” was included somewhere in there… My opinion is that the song sounds like a failed attempt of a Them Crooked Vultures track. But as I said, I seem to be the only one to share this opinion. Good ol’ J.T. features in there as well which is pretty cool- good luck figuring out where.

Moving onto the next song – The Sky Is A Neighborhood. What a track. The second single of the album with one of the Foo Fighters’ best music videos (and that’s a feat in and of itself). The song has a very interesting chorus- a lot and a lot and a lot of layered vocals to make an almost choir-like chorus. If you watch them perform it live, almost the entire bands joins in to sing during the chorus – it is spectacular. Lyrically referencing the eternal conflict that politics stir up in the modern day, especially for the past 2 years in the USA. The Sky Is A Neighborhood is definitely a feature song on the album and most probably will remain as a live staple for the Foo Fighters future concerts.

The following 3 tracks on the album are just as good as The Sky Is A Neighborhood and Run. La Dee Da is a very heavy but very fun song incorporating slightly more keyboard/synths than we are used to from the Foos but once again, displaying the influence of the modern rock scene in their music. The track is really fun and will be fantastic listening for a car ride when you’re alone and just want to jam along to something.

Up next is Dirty Water and it’s exceptional. Pulling the classic trick that’s found in Little Black Submarine (The Black Keys) and New Born (Muse); spending a large portion of the song in a beauteous and soft state but very suddenly and unexpectedly bursting out into a high-tempo, up-beat, overdriven chorus with fuzzy synth that matches the bass-line; all continuing until the song’s finish. This has been executed perfectly. There’s not enough time in the day to discuss how great this song is and I’ve heard it praised as the best track on the album. The first half of the song is very fun to sing as well, matching your vocals with the guitar strums and drum beats. Overall, its a fun song that turns into an epic.

Arrows has a very tough act to follow but it follows it well- a slightly darker tone that features guitaring reminiscent of the Wasting Light era. I won’t spend too long discussing it but it is good. Very good. My personal second favourite of the album. Now… Following on from those 3 amazing tracks is a quaint and cute little number that features a ukelele. Whilst melodic, relaxing and singing about the lack of superheroes in real life, it is slightly boring compared to the rest of the album and I feel like it is out of place on the album after what Dave wrote about the album:

With that said, give me a hammock, some palm trees and a cocktail on a hot summer’s day and I think that I will enjoy the song very much.

Sunday Rain, featuring Paul McCartney on the drums, which frees up Taylor Hawkins to lead the song vocally, is a very light groovy rock song. Definitely something different for the Foos but great nonetheless, only slightly ruined by an incredibly out of place piano piece at the end of the song. So out of place that it doesn’t come across well at all.

The pen-ultimate song of the album, The Line, I think best displays the new flavours of Dave and the band. With a lot more emphasis on fancy effects from the keyboard of Rami Jaffee, The Line shows that the Foos can rock in the modern day and may even get the attention of some Post-Hardcore fans if they’re into something lighter. A great, classic chant chorus from Dave never goes by unloved.

The closing and titular track of the album is reminiscent of the sounds Pink Floyd was famous for. Very melancholic, dark and slow. I feel as if the song may drag on a bit too long but it isn’t particularly bad. I like it but I don’t love it. Concrete and Gold features an almost church choir-like backing vocal track that pulls the song out of a dark place into the very presence of angels. It builds slightly to a very heavy crash out that rings out for an entire minute at the end… and then something odd happens haha- take a listen.

There’s a slight issue with the picture above; whilst I believe that Make It Right is a 2 star song and the other 3 star songs deserve those ratings.. I believe that Run, Dirty Water, Arrows and The Line deserve more than a 5-star rating. To put it simply, if it weren’t for Make It Right, I think that this would be my favourite Foo Fighters album ever but it has been slightly edged out by Wasting Light and the under-appreciated Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace.

Overall, the good outweighs the bad tremendously. Concrete and Gold is great, powerful and most importantly- loud. The Foo Fighters are the modern day Gods of Rock and there are tracks on this album that solidify this. Dave, Chris, Taylor, Rami, Nate and Pat- you guys have produced something beautiful, hard and down-right awesome!

8.5/10

Get the album here: http://smarturl.it/FFCG

P.S.: If anyone is still at two minds about getting tickets to see them live, please do yourself a favour and do so. I saw them live in 2014 and they genuinely changed my perceptions of what a rock concert is. The Foo Fighters are a must see live band!

There are two things one must do before dying:

1. See the Foo Fighters live.

2. Hit the YouTube dislike button on any new Coldplay song that says “Featuring” in the title.