FOALS

'Antidotes'

A little late to the dance on this one, but not by that much. A lot of reviews lazily compartmentalize the U.K.'s Foals as 'math-rock' and while that may be true to some degree...it doesn't do the other facets of their sound justice. A little more melody and focus than their cohorts in the post-punk revival, Bloc Party and Futureheads, plus (IMO) a tad more fun to listen to.

I mean, the shared Gang of Four influences are front and center, but there is something else going down on their first full LP, 'Antidotes', that make it a little more accessible. Maybe it's what sounds to be a more polished approach...to the point where more than a few times I heard shades of Edge-esque early U2 in some of the guitar. Whatever it is, it works.

After some deceptively mournful wails of a few saxophones...the album hits the ground running (or maybe it hits the ground strutting) w/ the near ska punch-up 'French Open' and keeps sprinting forward w/ the powerfully angular (yet danceable) 'Cassius'. The delicate guitar that flutters over the stripped down tick-tock 'Olympic Airways' is gorgeous at times and the dark echo of 'The Race for Radio Supremacy' pulsates until giving way to a solitary wailing alarm. I really dig the build up in instrumental 'Like Swimming' that teeters between cacophony and calculation until dissolving into syncopated static.

There are a few moments where singer/guitarist Yannis Philippakis' yelping gets a sort of grating and I think I like them better when they have the pedal to the metal, so to speak...the slower tunes have a tendency to drag a little. I guess they ditched Dave Sitek's (TV on the Radio) original mix of the album due to overuse of reverb and i'm thinking it's the right choice...there is a crispness here, that the remaining sonic embellishments augment perfectly while never becoming overbearing.

A lot of energy and an exciting listen. You can check out one of the excellent singles, 'Balloons', in the sample area and decide for yourself. Then go buy it on iTunes or via your cooler record store. Speaking of said single..WILL HERMES, of Rolling Stone...it's 'we fly balloons on this fuel called love', not 'we fry balloons on a steel cologne'. Way to butcher a great line in your lazy review, jagoff.