Concrete And Gold or Villains?

[Ianlucadp]

QOFTSA? FOO?

[AAL2014]

I had zero expectations going into the new Foo Fighters album. It really blew me away though. Concrete and Gold is their best "Play this as an album" record. It's not perfect, but I think it's genuine, emotional, and very well produced.

With the Queens of the Stone Age album, I was very disappointed. I didn't like the sound of the record, drums are so fucking flat and lifeless, and the effect on/tone of the guitar for a lot of record becomes pretty tedious.


I'm going with Foo Fighters on this one.
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[Daydreamer]

I feel like I'm the only one who really liked Villains. Yes the guitar tone is pretty specific and I could see how it could be annoying, but I don' mind it. I think that guitar tone is where Mark Ronson's influence is at its most visible. However, the songs are there and that's why I like it. Some strong Bowie/Iggy influences throughout.
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[AAL2014]

[Daydreamer]

[cobbo95]

I don't quite get the criticism for 'Villains'? It's still a QOTSA-esque sounding album, with the odd bit of sheen thrown into the mix for good measure. I'd even go to say that Mark Ronson really doesn't make all that big an impact on the album, bar 'The Way You Used to Do', which feels very separate from the rest. The majority of the songs feature the classic dark riffage of the band, with Josh's classic falsetto breaks. It's not as concise as '...Like Clockwork', but to be fair that was the first QOTSA offering I ever thought all went together really well. 'Villains' seems to take the industrial sound of songs like 'Battery Acid' and 'Sick, Sick, Sick' from 'Era Vulgaris' (one of my fav QOTSA albums) and gives it a slight injection of rhythm a la 'Smooth Sailing'. All in all, I'm a fan of this new album and whilst not perfect, it manages to be a great, modern 2017 rock record. Really love 'Domesticated Animals', 'Un-Reborn Again', 'The Evil Has Landed' and the closer 'Villains of Circumstance' - which probably is their first attempt at an all-our rock ballad.

I've only listened to 'Concrete and Gold' once so I don't have as much to say on the matter, but my first thoughts are that it's a mixed bag. Really liked the first half and thought that up until 'Dirty Water', it was the most diverse Foo's record in years. After that...it really drifted off and became quite sterile (like a lot of their post-TINLTL albums). I'll need to give it a few more listens, because at the moment it's a record of two halves. I really liked 'Wasting Light' and get the feeling they're not going to ever top that in the second phase of their career. Sorry Foos.

[Daydreamer]

I listened to Concrete and Gold for the first time today. It was weirdly underwhelming but since it's just a first listen, I won't read to much into it.
On the other hand Villains is getting better and better with every listen and is becoming one of my favourite albums of the year.
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[Space-Dementia]

I prefer Villains, but both are disappointing. Concrete and Gold has some interesting chord progressions on it that I wouldn't really expect from the Foo Fighters, but overall there's too many bland tracks, and one or two just bad ones. Villains is pretty forgettable, but at least it's consistent.

[RoundTheBend]

I've been listening to both a few times this last week.

I kinda feel like they just are... different.

Concrete and Gold has some immediacy to it I enjoy (like most Foo records). It throws some curve balls, yet is easy to like.

Villains is a much more complicated album, and this is to both it's detriment and advantage.

Villains has the Bowie influence which is funny for me to say cause I actually am not a fanatic about Bowie. I dig some stuff he did, but he's not in my top 10 (I don't even think he made my top 100). And it's not him, it's me. I digress. Bowie had some great vocals and I think (starting with their last record???) Josh really started to take that vocal tone on and I dig it.

Both albums are like a B or B+, but I wouldn't really give anything on those records an A or A+ (amazing).

Then again, I'm having a hard time finding anything in 2017 to give an A+. B+ (85) and A's (90) often, but no REAL 100s... (I'm starting to retract maybe some 100s I've given).

If I had to pick one or the other to only be able to listen to again, I'd probably pick Foo's new album.

[Daydreamer]

I thought the same about 2017 albums for a long time, but now A Deeper Understanding, American Dream and Villains have solidified themselves as top 3 albums of the year for me, and all could get A's or strong B's.
And I still have high expectations for the new Killers record which comes out in a couple of days.
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