I am always on for some cheery indie pop. By all means let's spend a few Vampire Weekends...but then go listen to Foals! I don't always like bands with what I call a "cold wave" vocal, but these Oxford lads sound to me like a mix of Battles, Klaxons and Hot Chip - bleeps and blurts, get yer freak on, and dance yer socks off! As of yet they only have a couple of EPs and singles, but an album is due in March. To tide you over, take a listen to "Astronauts and All," or watch the video for "Mathletics".I know you will not hold the NME hype against them...and if you are super-geeky, check out the oscillator video on their MySpace page...
Augusts1 says
I'm not sure what it is about he lead singer but something about him doesn't do it for me. I do like his vocals & the song though. I guess I'll just have to not watch their vids from now on, lol.
laura27 says
lol is there not already a genre called math-rock?
they're alright, although i'm not a fan of all the recent brit-indie-rock bands. they all seem too similar to me. but these guys have geek-appeal!
Bartleby says
Darm', I love your write-up but truth to be told I'm a bit tired of all those NME-knighted bands of the decade that sound a bit generic (from the New Puritans to Foals etc.) The OMM called them the "new eccentrics." I fail to hear the novelty sadly.
Hype killed the radio stars, I tell thee.
Here's fun excerpt from "Don't Believe the Anti-Hype" by Tim Jonze in The Guardian:
"Still, at least neither of these acts [Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong & Adele] use the "hate hype" thing as their main selling point. No! That award goes to Foals, who seem to spend every interview these days moaning about being a "hype band". They recently appeared on the cover of NME and spent half the interview saying how sick it made them feel, and how hype was just an industry scam. Was the irony of a band making these pronouncements yet signing up to be cover stars on a major music publication not lost on them? Apparently not. Such is Foals' inability to look inside themselves and see the identikit indie band within. Another recent interview saw them at war with their own wardrobes. "All these skinny jean indie bands are gonna die" screamed the headline. The accompanying photo? Erm, them. In skinny jeans."
darmuzz says
Foals are my first foray into math rock other than Battles. One of the reasons I'm excited about them is that it's made me aware of that whole genre - now I have so many new bands to explore! I also like indie pop (like Klaxons, Spoon), indie-disco (CSS, YSP!WSD!), art-punk (Art Brut) and dance-punk (Le Tigre), so I think they're a cool combination.
Yeah they may fizzle because of the hype, oh well, I'll enjoy 'em while they last.
Marigold says
Totally hearing the Battles sounds in there with the bleeps and blurps. Kind of like a Bloc Party - Battles hodgepodge. I had never heard of them until today. Thanks Dar!
FluxCapacitor says
Thanks Darla - I've heard lots of talk but no music before now. I totally get the early Blur/Bloc Party references. And not only am I hearing new music but fantastic new phrases like your "cold wave vocals" RobinH's "exam-rock", both of which I'm going to totally steal... And what do Foals mean by the "Hummer" EP, eh? Dirty little sods...
Jonh Ingham says
Saw the singer on 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks' and loved him - I'm still a sucker for smart ass smart kids and he was up to the challenge. I like what I hear but then I don't read any of the music mags so I escape all the bullshit.
HelenMarie says
I'm enjoying this ??cool?? "wave" of "cheeky art school kid" "britpop" "mathrock". It can be a weekend or few. Thanks for the intro! At least these Oxford lads aren't dissin' their comma! ; )
poebegone says
LOL on the "cold wave" vocal, i think i know what you mean. this is my introduction to Foal and, while i would not use the word "love" just yet, i must say i am curious to hear more. thanks for the lead, Dar!
I am always on for some cheery indie pop. By all means let's spend a few Vampire Weekends...but then go listen to Foals! I don't always like bands with what I call a "cold wave" vocal, but these Oxford lads sound to me like a mix of Battles, Klaxons and Hot Chip - bleeps and blurts, get yer freak on, and dance yer socks off! As of yet they only have a couple of EPs and singles, but an album is due in March. To tide you over, take a listen to "Astronauts and All," or watch the video for "Mathletics".I know you will not hold the NME hype against them...and if you are super-geeky, check out the oscillator video on their MySpace page...
Locating MOG account...
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