Although Oxford, England's Foals didn't release their debut full-length, Antidotes, until the spring of 2008, they had already begun to make quite a name for themselves, thanks to the British singles "Hummer" and "Mathletics," and successful dates in the U.S. the preceding fall; meaning, of course, that the anticipation for the record had plenty of time to grow. Fortunately, Antidotes is able to live up to the hype. Frontman Yannis Philippakis uses his limited vocal range to his greatest advantage, moving from yelps to half-whispered singing depending on the intensity of the piece. In fact, the one drawback of the album may be that Foals have only two types of songs: the fast(er), punchy ones and the slow(er), spacier ones. For bands whose sense of songcraft isn't strong, this would certainly be a detriment, but as Foals keep melody and hookiness at the forefront of their minds, the fact that much of their work sounds very similar (and is all practically in the same key) just adds a sense of cohesion to the record, shows that the group has a very clear idea of what it wants to sound like. This sureness can also probably explain the band's dislike of producer Dave Sitek's final mix, which differed from what they had imagined (and therefore prompted their own mixing of it, and the one they ultimately released). But Sitek should be credited for introducing at least the saxophones, if not the more ambient keyboards and occasional electronic element, to the Foals' arrangements, which end up working quite well and prevent the tracks from completely bleeding into one another, also allowing for the band's instrumental sections to play out in an interesting groove, like during the very NOMO-ish "Like Swimming" or the close of "Heavy Water." The two guitars pick out cascading notes -- never chords -- against one another, the bass borrows from both Interpol and Gang of Four, and Philippakis' voice cries out in repetition wonderfully, but it's these occasional horn bursts, the electronic chops and blips, that truly complete the songs, making Antidotes not merely a lesson in post-/p>
ew wave noodling, but evidence of the power and excitement of the genre and music itself.
In many ways, I appear to be the picture of adult responsibility. I've been married for about as long as our MOGger of the week (congrats Jules) has been alive, and have three kids. I hold down a steady job, often working long hours. I try very hard to remember friends' birthdays and special occasions. I regularly attend worship services and work at church frequently. I've even been a Scoutmast...
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BalloonsFoals are a dance-punk band from Oxford, UK. The five-piece group are known through extensive live playing around the UK and for its mix of indie with elements from techno and math rock. They signed with Transgressive Records, and played a number of shows at the 2007 SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.First album out in a couple of months which will not include their first singles.....HUMME...
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In many ways, I appear to be the picture of adult responsibility. I've been married for about as long as our MOGger of the week (congrats Jules) has been alive, and have three kids. I hold down a steady job, often working long hours. I try very hard to remember friends' birthdays and special occasions. I regularly attend worship services and work at church frequently. I've even been a Scoutmast...
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The Foals announced the title and tracklist for their debut album to be released in March. The album will be called Antidotes and it will feature 11 songs. However, crowd favorites "Mathletics," "Hummer," "Astronauts" and "All" did not make the cut to be included on the forthcoming album. It is unknown if these will get a separate release in the future. A rumor is circulating that "Hummer" ...
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BalloonsFoals are a dance-punk band from Oxford, UK. The five-piece group are known through extensive live playing around the UK and for its mix of indie with elements from techno and math rock. They signed with Transgressive Records, and played a number of shows at the 2007 SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.First album out in a couple of months which will not include their first singles.....HUMME...
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Foals uploaded their new video for "Balloons" this week. It's the first single off their upcoming album which, for the life of me, I can't find a name for, but I know it was produced by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio. Therefore, it must be great! Balloons will be released on December 3rd as a single and here is the brand new video for the song:According to FADER Mag, the single will come with...
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I've been listening to Foals Antidotes lately, and like most people, I think I was a little bit put off by the sense of slickness. My friend Charlie Wilmouth put it this way, in his review at Dusted: "The trouble with Antidotes, though, is the same as one of the big problems with Bloc Party's Silent Alarm: it's so relentlessly clean-sounding. More than anything else, Antidotes is about the cons...
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This is a very cool band. They kind of remind of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. This song is called "Balloons" and it's off their new album, Antidotes.
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So, yeah. I wanted to do this the same way I did last year and write it on New Year's Eve. but...that didn't happen. So, here it is, now.I found a lot of music towards the end, but there was a lot that came to me in the middle of the year.Best band that sounds like insects and helped me get a job: Foals. They kicked way more ass than I was ever expecting. I can't remember why I got into them in...
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I checked this band out after reading poebegone's year end list. Good stuff so far.
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I'm gathering all the half year lists of 2008! A list of the best albums of 2008 so far according to all Moggers. If you haven't voted yet, go to this thread: http://mog.com/SA/blog_post/169238 and post your top 10 albums of 2008 so far. This is your last chance to vote! Friday I will definitely lock the voting and start compiling the list.My Best Album!Band: FoalsAlbum: AntidotesBest Track: R...
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...but does a purportedly "respectable" news outlet like CNN need to resort to using a slang word like "ginormous" in a headline? "Ginormous sinkhole gobbles up yards"What's wrong with "enormous" or "gigantic"?In fact, I prefer "gigantic," because then I start singing the Pixies song."A big, big love...."Which reminds me, the new Foals song "Big, Big Love" is pretty good. Both versions. It's th...
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Foals have a new video out for "Cassius" from their upcoming debut album Antidotes. The "Cassius" single was released digitally on Monday February 18th and it will be released on CD March 10th. Antidotes will also be released in March. Here is the new video for "Cassius":
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Observe the power of *Foals*:If you can listen to that song without tapping your foot, bobbing your head, or moving around in any sort of way, you truly are a phenomenon.I've subjected my poor family to this song more than any other in recent memory, and they're quite annoyed by now.Just wait 'til the album comes out, they'll never forgive me.
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It's hard to find videos of their best stuff. But, this band is growing on me. They're quirky in an 80's kind of way...choppy guitars and a Gang of Four style rhythm section...along with those early Cure vocals.You could have heard this back in '84 and thought it was daring.
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Foals - Olympic Airways // A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 The French Open |
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| 2 Cassius |
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| 3 Red Socks Pugie |
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| 4 Olympic Airways |
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| 5 Electric Bloom |
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| 6 Balloons |
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| 7 Heavy Water |
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| 8 Two Steps Twice |
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| 9 Big Big Love (Fig. 2) |
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| 10 Like Swimming |
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| 11 Tron |
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| 12 [Silence] |
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| 13 Hummer [*] |
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| 14 Mathletics [*] |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Antidotes")
