Concrete and Gold

Following the crunchy, conceptual sprawl of 2014’s <i>Sonic Highways</i>—an album whose making was documented in an equally ambitious HBO series of the same name—Foo Fighters show no signs of slowing down. Recorded alongside The Bird and The Bee’s Greg Kurstin (Adele, Sia) in just one L.A. studio, <i>Concrete and Gold</i> finds the Foos balancing Beatles-like pop (see: the psychedelic shimmer and lush harmonies of “Happy Ever After (Zero Hour)”) with metallic abandon (see also: the quiet-LOUD thrills of “Run”), all while making room for guest appearances from Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake and Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman. Further proof that rock’s most reliable band can still surprise us.