Foals

the two transgressive singles are cool enough, but i don't think they've put out a really great record yet. i have the live 12" but am yet to play it. certainly there's some lovely guitar stuff in there that i'd be keen to see taken much further

Finally an NME hyped debut that actually does live upto the hype.

really? this is horrible stuff here. plus the production is retarded. those up beat guitar stabs wear thin after 1 minute and they do it the entire album.

I'm a bit disappointed by the album. Seen them live loads of times over the last two years, and I had high expectations for their recorded stuff. The album should be lively, but instead it just seems to drag.

Maybe it's just another case of a live band not being able to capture their live excitement on record?

this is probably the worst album ive heard this year

i had expectations too :(

Sounds like Dave Sitek thought he was producing another Celebration album.

They were quite a lot of fun to watch (saw them opening for Bloc Party in Amsterdam last november), though a little one-dimensional. What's the album like?

really? this is horrible stuff here. plus the production is retarded. those up beat guitar stabs wear thin after 1 minute and they do it the entire album.

-- cutty, Monday, February 4, 2008 2:05 PM (2 weeks ago) Bookmark Link

Q and Not U Should Sue

ah. thanks.

xpost

Haha, I really like this. It's like Battles for preschoolers.

It's the kind of thing I can imagine the cast of Skins going nutso for.

people, people - call them by their NAME!!

"Some Foals"

This band is unbearable.

I like what I've heard of them and I'm looking forward to the album, but I'm not sure whether they can sustain it for a whole album without it being a bit of a bore. And the Keiran Hebden remix on the b-side of the new single is the biggest waste of ten minutes I've heard in a long time.

I also think it's weird how the writers at "Coronation Street" have got Psycho David Platt getting tickets to see them on the day that his girlfriend is going to abort his baby behind his back.

This band is unbearable.

-- Savannah Smiles, Saturday, 8 March 2008 19:05 (3 days ago) Bookmark Link

this is ok.

Tell me more about the album. All I know is it's got a rubbish cover.

It's like a cross between Battles and Bloc Party. Much better produced than the last Bloc Party record, which is a fucking hideous mess. It's a very poseur-friendly record, but don't let that put you off. Given that it's number four in the album charts and available for under £8 in Tesco (where I bought it, for shame) it could arguably be the moment that 'postrock' crosses over into the 'mainstream' or some such bullshit. I really do like it quite a lot, but I can ignore what they look like and have no idea wtf he's singing about. I like it on a sensual / textural level more than a cultural level. But I'm old compared to them. Short, dancey postrock with intricate layering.

Just to provide an alternate opinion (not to pick a fight!):
I think this is almost amazingly tuneless. I don't find the textual stuff is nearly as interesting or fun as Battles (or at least 50 other bands - even Bloc Party. There's more happening in the intro to "Helicopter" than on the entire Foals album). It would seem they take themselves very seriously in every respect, but they're never really convincing. I mentioned it upthread, but I really do think they are a really poor imitation of Q and Not U (who had better musicianship, lyrics, and tunes - without the extracurricular bullshit like comically ENDLESS, obnoxious interviews about how they don't like hype). I think most accusations of sound-a-likery are lazy and cheap, but this one stands out to me. Fundamentally, though, I just don't think they have any tunes.

I listened to a couple of their songs on youtube ('Balloons' and 'Cassius') and was struck by echoes of Haircut 100 ('Favourite Shirt' - rhythm guitar and horns on 'Cassius' .. effect pretty much cancelled out by clattering drums), The Beat and other things from around that time. The thing that I don't understand with this sort of music is why does it have to be so fast and jerky? It's true I'm much, MUCH too old for it but it's exactly the same problem I had with Gang of Four and The Beat AT THE TIME (ie, again, 'why does the music have to be so fast and jerky, and why do the group have to move their bodies around in such a jerky way? .. it's not appealing').

It's funny, Joy Division were fast and choppy too, but they didn't annoy me in that way.

I like the "dance-punk" songs on it, but not sure about the more difficult stuff. It will be interesting to see whether they will do a Bloc Party, and beginning to take themselves seriously, or actually try to do a good second album. Let's call this one promising.

I can accept all that. Bar the chorus of Cassius there's not really a moment that's stuck in my head; I do know that I enjoyed the whole record, though, particularly Big Big Love.

When I talk about textures I'm perhaps using the wrong terminology; I should perhaps have said timbres; I love the brass sound they've got, and their percussion too, for instance. They're probably not as good as Battles for that (except the brass, which Battles never used), hence my "Battles for preschoolers" comment upthread.

I've not read any interviews so can't comment on that at all.

I've also never heard Q And Not U, but am intrigued now; should I investigate?

I'm not saying Foals are great or anything; just that I like them plenty enough to have bought the album and not regret it.

x-post to Savvanah Smiles.

It's like Battles for preschoolers

hahah, this is pretty much exactly how i've been describing them (only more succinct, and better).

they remind me, slightly, of ACR, which is A Good Thing. i could never love the album, but i certainly like it. a lot.

and i think the cover's great.

It's the kind of thing I can imagine the cast of Skins going nutso for.

Haha, this was said before I realised Foals were the Skins "house band" as it were!

The thing that I don't understand with this sort of music is why does it have to be so fast and jerky?

Good question. The only answer I can think of is that if it wasn't fast and jerky, it wouldn't be this sort of music at all. If it was more poppy it would sound like Franz Ferdinand, if it was less jerky it would be funk, if it was slower it would be, I don't know, industrial-lite or something. I can't even begin to imagine a Foals ballad.

"and i think the cover's great."

Wha!?!?!??!?!

I don't like the cover in itself, but I do like the fact that a record with that cover is number four in the charts and available cheap in Tesco.

yeh! i dunno. i just ... like it.

Does anyone else think that These New Puritans are better?

When I saw the chart the other week, I though French house producer Cassius had a new song called "Foals".

DISAPPOINTING

Another vote for really liking the cover, actually.

Q and Not U to check out: Maybe "Hooray for Humans," "Washington Monument Blinks Goodnight," "LAX," "Wonderful People," "Line in the Sand"...

I don't know, maybe I'm full of shit - I guess they're less sound-a-likey and more just going for similar things. Re-listening to snippets of both has me re-evaluating that stance. Either way, Q and Not U def. worth checking out!

"Does anyone else think that These New Puritans are better?"

TNP album is the worst album so far this year. And they're appalling live too.

Not sure about the cover, but liking the album a lot. As I've said somewhere else, the first half is a bit flaky in placed, but the second half gets better. "Big big love" is absolutely fantastic and I would love "Like swimming" to go on for another 2 minutes at least. Because I'm old, I just spot all the influences - Go4, ACR, Durutti Column, even early Disco Inferno in places. There's a part of "Tron" that makes me think of This Heat as well.

I don't care about the image or the words or what they say in interviews, it's the music that matters and it's good and shows promise. It will be interesting to see where they go from here.

'places', not 'placed' obviously. Finger slipped.

Long Fin Killie were better.

Does anyone else think that These New Puritans are better?

I do, mainly because they don't sound like British guys playing Celebration covers as I stated upthread.

Good review in Pitchfork, I felt the same about the slower, more "difficult" songs.

Long Fin Killie were better.

Long Fin Killie are better than practically everyone, though.

Also the PFM review is by TOM EWING, so absolutely no surprise whatsoever over the grade. I love Tom to bits but he was never gonna like this!

"he was never gonna like this"

Erm... what do you mean?

Just that I can't imagine that Tom would have any interest in Foals whatsoever if he weren't reviewing them; which is entirely fair enough. And it's a great piece full of salient points, and certainly the most well-balanced and intelligent thing I've read about them, but, y'know, Tom finds Bib Big Love "excruciating" and I think it's about the most interesting thing on the album; he's unhappy at the meaninglessness of the lyrics, the disconnectedness of them, but the lyrics have never struck me as being integral to enjoying the music at all - the first song seems to be about tennis, for heaven's sake! I'm not saying it's amazing or anything - I'd probably give it a 7 if I covered it anywhere - just that it's neither as bad as "excruciating" or 5.9 suggests, nor as good as the hype suggest either.

To be fair I think Tom was interested in at least hearing Some Foals before being asked to write this review.

Although yeah he was never exactly going to go mad for it.

Yeah, perhaps he could have given 'em a bit better than 5.9, but otherwise it's correct I think.

remember how artrock stopped being about bands like van der graaf generator and started being about franz ferdinand after a load of critics randomly started calling them that, math rock is so gonna be the new name for this stuff now. heh.

Is hummer not on their album? It was the best single i thought, the singer is shit but hot, so it balances.

i don't get the 'Some Foals' thing

'A Single Frame' called - they want their act back. This rekkid sounds like watered-down 'Wetheads Come Running'

Grimly OTM upthread, I like this album but can't quite love it (yet?). Still it's odd that sometimes they actually remind me of Rush, instrumentally (which to me is a nice thing!) I can see why Rob M. mentioned early Disco Inferno, too - the guitars certainly call that to mind at times. I wish they'd lay off the jerky Ferdinand-ish stuff a bit more because they've got more to offer than just keeping up with current trends.

It will be interesting to see where they go from here.

Exactly. I somehow yearn for them to do some great big prog concept album or something. I love the horns in "Tron", too. Foals are an interesting mix of influences, to be sure.

funny: i listened to the album again today and there were a couple of moments -- especially "electric bloom" -- where i began to think, woah, there's something really interesting going on here; an emotional depth i hadn't really noticed before.

Still really diggin' this. Stands up well to repeated listens.

seconded. this is what converted me about a year ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZuTIYEe_p8&feature=PlayList&p=14E85E905E4CCC76&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=27

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX7sniIVmtM

Sounds a bit ordinary perhaps?

on-trend ornithological images though.

The new album is such a marked improvement on the last one.

That must mean the new album is absolutely fantastic then, loved the debut a ton.

I mainly liked the first one and the singles especially but they've obviously thought this one out much better. The elements are all woven into the whole better, there's a load of acid house dynamics, they do this thing called (something like) the human Steve Reich emulator. The main touch points are Fela, late 80s imperial Cure and, bonus, they've got rid of the few bits that sound like Bloc Party.

Consider me excited in that case! Sounds pretty great to me.

There's a track called Miami which they're talking up as their "hip hop" track but if you ignore that (they clearly have a less firm grip on hip hop and R&B than even me) and appreciate it for what it is, some kind of derranged mix of yacht rock and Cities In Dust by Siouxsie and Sir Victor Uwaifo...

Surprised how little love Total Life Forever is getting in critical circles so far. It's bowled me over in my first couple listens. It sounds like the record everybody hoped the last one would be.

Yeah, I've been enjoying the reviews thus far. Loved the last one, so I'm anxious to hear this. Not out physically in the U.S. til mid-June though.

got back from their show in hometown Oxford about an hour ago. The kids were mad for it. The new stuff sounded great (esp. "Total Life Forever" which they opened with). It was a great vibe: they had members of Jonquil, the support act, come on to play percussion and trumpet during the encore.

I gave the new one a chance but it sounded kind of dreary - they've got good ideas but they're trapped in the framework of this 00s indie orthodoxy. The singer sort of meanders over the top, hardly anything to really grab the attention. Dull.

I hadn't noticed before how short the singer is - he's a good head down on the rest of the band

but that's because half the band are very talk...

greek people are little

I'm not sure I like the tempo of the songs. It also sounds a bit tired and groggy, perhaps because they're so good and energetic live.

can't think of a second album by a british rock band that's come out in the last 5 years or so that improves on the first album as much as this does.

i can go without most of this band's output but i fux with this "my number" song

hitting bloc party / british indie pleasure centres that haven't been hit at properly in a long time

my number has been stuck in my head for days, great song. didn't enjoy the rest of the album much when i played it though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2wjFeHTaWg

^ Hot Chip remix btw

um:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2wjFeHTaWg

Not sure what to make of that myself, loses most of the propulsion and highlights his horrible voice a bit too much

This album is full of terrific instrumental hooks but good lord the voice. Like I know they're called Foals and everything but he actually sounds like a lowing calf.

so..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTwwpcWggXI

I seem to be the only person who thinks the vocals are fine, makes me think of a less inventive Chino Moreno

anyway I enjoy the big dumb sounds made by this band, basically the only nu-britrock outfit I have time for

especially because of the vocals "london thunder" sounds exactly like my morning jacket, which isn't a bad thing

"a knife in the ocean" = teeth of the sea

Releasing two albums this year, because why not

the first single "Exits" is...ok. Not as spry as I generally like their singles to be, but I'm glad they seem to have sensed they pushed the "rocking out" elements as far as it was wise to go on the last album

haven't really listened to anything since the second album but love 'exits'

Their best for a long while

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w_4FJip7sY