Albums to watch

Concrete and Gold

Foo Fighters

Concrete and Gold

Ninth studio album from the post-grunge rock stalwarts, with guest appearances from Justin Timberlake, Boyz II Men member Shawn Stockman, and Paul McCartney

ADM rating[?]

6.6

Label
RCA
UK Release date
15/09/2017
US Release date
15/09/2017
  1. 9.6 |   AU Review

    This is the Foo Fighters on sonic steroids
    Read Review

  2. 8.3 |   A.V. Club

    It’s an album for rock fans and rock stars: The Foo Fighters rank among the best of both
    Read Review

  3. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Easily the finest album of the Foo Fighters’ 20-plus year recording career, an artistic breakthrough that hopefully marks the start of an exciting new era in the band’s continued musical odyssey
    Read Review

  4. 8.0 |   The Music

    What Foo Fighters set out to achieve with Concrete & Gold was to challenge themselves, and in turn, they've also challenged their listeners in the best way possible
    Read Review

  5. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Foo Fighters' most beguiling record to date. Print edition only

  6. 8.0 |   NME

    The Foo Fighters’ ninth is a little bit Queen, a little bit Prince and a lot great
    Read Review

  7. 7.3 |   Paste Magazine

    For the first time in years, Foo Fighters are taking advantage of the cachet they’ve built as the world’s safest arena rock band
    Read Review

  8. 7.3 |   Gig Soup

    Although the album doesn’t rank alongside the group’s strongest efforts, it’s significantly more accomplished than their weakest
    Read Review

  9. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Musically and emotionally, Concrete and Gold is their most balanced record yet
    Read Review

  10. 7.0 |   The Digital Fix

    Might well be the slight course correction Foo Fighters needed to keep themselves, and us, interested
    Read Review

  11. 7.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    After a run of albums that could really be interchangeable with each other, what really sets Concrete and Gold aside from the rest is that you don’t feel this one has been written with stadiums specifically in mind
    Read Review

  12. 7.0 |   All Music

    Foo Fighters show that they're in love with light and shade, fury and quiet, every twist and turn they can make with their instruments
    Read Review

  13. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    After remaining stagnant for so long, Concrete and Gold is a mini breakthrough for the Foo Fighters. Progress, at last
    Read Review

  14. 6.7 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Dave Grohl wasn't kidding when he called it “Motörhead’s version of Sgt. Pepper"
    Read Review

  15. 6.5 |   Pitchfork

    Reliable, relatable, and powerful with just barely enough new ideas to keep things interesting
    Read Review

  16. 6.5 |   Under The Radar

    If you're looking for a reinvention of the rock and roll wheel, you're generating unrealistic expectations. Instead, if you're looking for a very listenable, hard rock fist-pumper you've come to the right place
    Read Review

  17. 6.3 |   Earbuddy

    If you’re a diehard Foo Fighters fan, Concrete And Gold lands in the middle in terms of quality. And that could be the best we hope for this long into their career
    Read Review

  18. 6.0 |   DIY

    More interesting than one might’ve expected
    Read Review

  19. 6.0 |   The Observer

    The stadium rockers’ ninth album boasts impressive guests but few real departures from their trademark sound
    Read Review

  20. 6.0 |   The FT

    The album lulls with a sappy acoustic intro and then overwhelms with an immense passage of pomp rock
    Read Review

  21. 6.0 |   Q

    A straightforward Foo Fighters album, albeit one that does occasionally fulfill its promise to deliver both aural lavishness and maximum heaviosity. Print edition only

  22. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    The album, produced by noted poptician Greg Kurstin, has a distinct direction towards a more radio-friendly sound
    Read Review

  23. 6.0 |   The Independent

    One suspects the stridency and bluster conceals a lack of purpose, rescued from terminal mediocrity only by the sheer determination of the galloping buzzsaw guitar riffs and bulldozer drums of tracks like “Run” and “Arrows”
    Read Review

  24. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    With guest slots for Paul McCartney and Justin Timberlake, the help of Adele co-writer Greg Kurstin and lyrics about Nazi-fixated punks, Dave Grohl finds just enough inspiration to keep the ball rolling
    Read Review

  25. 6.0 |   Clash

    While there’s nothing that will diminish their legacy or standing in rock music, there’s very little material that pushes the band forward either
    Read Review

  26. 6.0 |   Exclaim

    There's nothing life-changing for the band or the listener here. It's still a fun time, though
    Read Review

  27. 6.0 |   State

    Enough anthems that nobody would be disappointed if a lot of what is contained herein ended up on their live setlist
    Read Review

  28. 6.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    The variations here on what a Foo record should be are subtle – warm backing vocals, minor genre experiments, inoffensively vague politicking – but welcome nonetheless
    Read Review

  29. 6.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Concrete and Gold is fun, it’s good-natured and full of verve, and there are parts of it that zing, but this is Foo Fighters' ninth album. Don’t they ever feel like really changing things up?
    Read Review

  30. 5.8 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    Grohl is literally making albums that are dedicated to the pantheon of music that your parents listened to and, while there isn’t anything inherently wrong with that, it tends to stack up as irrelevant or classist after a while
    Read Review

  31. 4.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    In the end, it’s the lack of direction that’s fatal
    Read Review

  32. 4.0 |   Evening Standard

    All the usual energy but none of the feeling
    Read Review


blog comments powered by Disqus

Watch it

Roll over video for more options

Hear it

Latest Reviews

More reviews