By Nicole Zamlout
Staff Writer
Foo Fighters, the ’90s post-grunge rock band, released its latest album “Concrete and Gold” and it’s the kind of head banging, guitar screaming and all-around rock album that continues the rock genre’s evolution from the days of KISS, to Dave Grohl’s work in Nirvana and beyond.
The album’s songs contain themes most rock songs cover — lost love, heartbreak, fond memories of simpler times and a few good middle fingers to ‘the man’.
It’s not one coherent story — it’s more of a collection of snapshots the band is showing us so that we can understand how it got here today.
However, the music and lyrics take these themes and make them new, which is quite a feat. The lyrics are full of passion and really stick to you. The music makes you bob your head and rock out, but at the same time, the lyrics make sense and have a lot of meaning.
Music these days is either get up off your seat or sit a minute and reflect, but this album is able to do both seamlessly. The quick pickup of beats is great if you need a song to cheer you up, but the soft moments still give energy and allow for a nice contrast.
It’s good old fashion rock and roll with a new twist – it’s not just screaming, it allows you to feel something a little different than the music of its predecessors. It’s this strange combination of calming and powerful that make this album one to listen to.
The little bits of screaming vocals really help punch up the songs and brings attention to the beautiful instrumental tracks.
The guitar and drums bring everything to life as each song unfolds its story into a nonlinear narrative.
The music amplifies each emotion until you can’t help but understand what the artist is feeling, which is the integral part of why music is so compelling: it allows us to understand one another.
This album proves that you don’t need a heartbreaking melody to be understood. Music as a whole is a world of understanding.
“Concrete and Gold” is good for anyone who wants a new set of head banging songs.
It’s also a good example as to why this type of music works — no matter what form it takes, it leaves you feeling soothed and heard. This may not be traditionally soothing, but it depends what you’re looking for in a song.
The album is full of surprises. So, plug this in and rock right along. After all, who says rock ‘n’ roll can’t soothe the soul?
