After teasing a mystery collaborator back in July, Dave Grohl has confirmed that this surprise guest on the Foo Fighters upcoming album, Concrete and Gold, will be by none other than…Justin Timberlake. Ok, I’m excited.
Look, this is either going to be ridiculous in a good way or a bad way, but I trust Dave. And hello, we should all trust Justin Timberlake. These two gentleman have been making amazing music for literally the majority of my life and are just as popular now as they were over 20 years ago. I also (admittedly) love when two things actually mesh together when it looks like they shouldn’t. I just really hope this isn’t a Nelly/Tim McGraw situation. Because we can’t live through that Over and Over again. Pun intended.
According to Rolling Stone, good ol’ Justin and Dave agreed for Timberlake to do a small vocal part on one of the hardest songs on the album over some whiskey in a parking lot. I like your style, guys. Naysayers be damned, but I’m adding this to the list of curious choices that are making me hyped for this album. According to several sites like Fuse and Rolling Stone he’ll also have other guests like Paul McCartney playing drums on a track as well as some vocals by none other than Shawn Stockman from Boyz II Men. I mean…what? These are some seriously different names in music yet similar in their artistry and professionalism. I’m intrigued.
So far, there have only been two singles released off of Concrete and Gold which is set to release September 15. The first one begins with a nice melodic guitar undertone with those Foo vocals we’re used to, but it isn’t long before we’re hit hard with some seriously dirty drums that lead into something harder that remind me of old ’95 Foo Fighters Wattershed. Sometimes I think we forget that their sound is rooted in something harder than the typical lighter vibes you get in My Hero and Learn to Fly. Yeah, these guys are jokers and incredibly musically vulnerable, but they are some seriously badass musicians who play HARD. Their foundation is rooted in underground punk for crying out loud. I think we tend to forget that. But, don’t worry. Run is about to remind you. Then there’s Sky is a Neighborhood which is textbook radio friendly Foo Fighters. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s certainly enjoyable.
Concrete and Gold will be released September 15. In the meantime, listen to the two tracks that are out (listed below) and start prepping yourself for that Timberlake collaboration. (I threw in a classic JT track…you know…just for good measure.)
Update: A third single —”The Line”— has also just been released. See below.
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