CD reviews

FOO FIGHTERS

Concrete and Gold NOT even Father Time can stop Dave Grohl from being awesome. At 48 years old the mystical power of rock ’n’ roll flows through him with the same strength it did when he was a teenager. While some rockers write quieter, boring songs as they age (cough Billy Corgan cough), Grohl finds ways to keep his music engaging and punchy. After writing a concept album for the Foo’s last outing, Concrete and Gold takes a different path, with the band hiring a big, classy studio space for a chunk of time and just letting inspiration strike. They employed a pop music producer who has worked with the likes of Adele and Pink. They let Justin Timberlake and one of the dudes from Boyz II Men sing backing vocals on a song. Then Sir Paul McCartney plays drums on another ... and none of it has an impact on the Foo’s sound. This album never sounds like anything but a Grohl album and no one can steal the Foo’s spotlight.

Dirty Water is the type of song I love from them. It shows off Grohl’s affection for a pretty Beatles-indebted pop song, but then he turns it into a rocker halfway through. On La Dee Da a little of his hard rock love breaks through as he screams to the point of distortion. That grunt is also heard on the album’s shapeshifting epic rocker Run.

The Sky is a Neighbourhood is a reminder that this band still play stadium-size concerts. This is not a song for a small theatre, it’s a song for the MCG. Somehow it feels thick and engulfing, even on terrible car or iPhone speakers.

(SANDY) ALEX G

Rocket LO-FI indie singer-songwriter Alex Giannascoli is a fascinating oddball. A big part of his appeal is an ability to write Elliott Smith-level melodies — true earworms — and combine this gift with a desire to experiment outside of his typical genre. Rocket, which came out in May (sorry!), delves into some alt-country vibes — a first for him. The Bright Eyes comparison is hard to avoid, but that’s nice company to keep if you are an aspiring 20-something songwriter. The fun of this album comes from G’s weird choices. Why mumble through

Poison Root with its chugging acoustic guitars and strangled string melodies? Why drown Sportstar in electronic vocal effects? Why include a shouty industrial noiserock song such as

Brick on a 14-song album of quiet material? The answer, as always, is: Why not? The uneasy melodies and dream-pop song structure of Witch makes it a clear standout, alongside Horse with its trippy atmosphere, moody electro bass and head-spinning melodies.

Judge is the song with the most in common with his 2015 album Beach

Music. It is the album’s most Elliott Smith-y moment and my personal favourite.