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Foals - on Fire With New Album
Indie | Wednesday 13th February 2013 | Thisbe
They’ve have come a long way since first effort ‘Mathletics’ distinctly adolescent garage sound.
I was lucky enough to see Foals in their infancy performing The Skins Secret Party back in 2007, where they played ‘Hummer’ to a crowd of pissed extras who were more interested in getting their knickers on camera. From this submissive genesis, it’s really great to see that now’s time for Foals to enjoy their long-overdue glory.
Now signed to Warner Bros, Holy Fire is the latest studio album, and if promotion is anything to go by, the circulation of this record is set to be huge. Gone are the jumbled squeaks and beats of their beginnings; there’s a strong concept of sound for this release and it shows. This it is a diligent effort. Interestingly, if you want an idea of the scope of this one, the album artwork is a good fit for the stage of the record. A seemingly radioactive and heroic adventure of valiant horsemen turning toward the sea.
Also with the inclusion of a prelude, it could seem the band have strived to create a kind of indie-opera in the 11-track run. Enthusiasm aside, at first listen it is a strange recipe, with the prelude and first track sounding more like a Kasabian record, complete with swampy bass-lines and self-assured chanting. These are definitely growers, yet new single ‘Inhaler’ has the formula, and is sure to be a pretty amazing experience live. This record is as diverse as it is eccentric. The new direction is obviously popular with fans, as besides being on the bill at Reading and Leeds festival this summer, the band are also playing eight sold-out dates across the UK.
By ‘My Number’ Foals take a turn in a more poppy direction, akin to Friendly Fires. This one seems set to be a festival hit, full of pop hooks, it is an entirely more upbeat and listenable experience. It seems that the tracks move in a natural orientation from this point, as next on the list ‘Bad Habit’ keeps in time with the positive vibe. Opening up with cute calypso electronica the band slows the pace down, giving listeners another great indie-pop track. Their original post-punk vibe seems to have softened en-route, rendering Holy Fire a much more audience-friendly push. Cynicisms aside, this is not disadvantageous.
Gratefully, ‘Everytime’ echoes old habits with the band’s signature tumbling drums pitted against sunny chorusing and Yannis Phillippakis’ soothing vocals. A merging of the old and new, set to pacify loyal supporters who’ve put them where they stand, verging on the top of their game. Obviously it’s not all gold, finale track ‘Moon’ might make you scratch your head / spit out your coffee / cry into your pint, but sketchy tune ‘Providence’ and the catchy ‘Stepson’ claw back kudos from any minor blips. Remember Vanilla Sky, and Brian’s eternal quote “Without the bitter, baby, the sweet ain’t as sweet”? It's never been so true.
Still satisfying non-conformists, Holy Fire is a commendable record. Spreading their wings, Foals are entirely deserving of this record’s hype so it’s worth grabbing yourself tickets to catch them mid flight. A really great chance to catch a band on the brink of headline-fame before they’re everybodys’.
Watch the video for ‘Inhaler’ here. Holy Fire is out now.
