Concrete And Gold

Album review

Now 48 years old, Dave Grohl seems to have reached a turning point in his career. A decisive one for the future. After receiving a well-deserved Legion of Honour for playing the drums for Nirvana he recorded the first album of the Foo Fighters in October 1994, six months after Kurt Cobain committed suicide. More pop but as untamed as the music of the band that made him famous, this start didn’t fail to impress. Gradually however, album after album, this rock’n’roll drawing from punk slowly smoothed out the edges to approach often very commercial radio tunes. To the point of Grohl and his crew filling out stadiums after stadiums with a rather complacent original soundtrack… With Concrete And Gold, it is clear the Foo Fighters took the time to reflect on their evolution. In the media, their leader even pulled out a mouth-watering marketing tirade: “this album is a Motörhead version of Sgt Pepper!”. And it must be said, what happened within our ears was something not too dissimilar to this description. Especially because Paul McCartney himself is involved on one of the titles! Indeed the former Beatle plays the drums on Sunday Rain. Other unexpected guests were invited to this metal-pop orgy: Justin Timberlake on Make It Right, Shawn Stockman from Boyz II Men on Concrete And Gold, Inara George from The Bird And The Bee on Dirty Water, Alison Mosshart from The Kills on La Dee Da and The Sky Is a Neighborhood, as well as saxophonist Dave Koz on La Dee Da! Much like Sgt Pepper’s patchwork cover art, this ninth Foo Fighters album goes in every direction. An orgasmic eclecticism carried by the traditional downpour of guitars, but also a more refined sense of pop melody than usual. Some songs are even testosterone-free to make way for rather delicious psychedelic illuminations… Mission accomplished for Dave Grohl in terms of ability to question and renew himself. © MD/Qobuz