Foals – Total Life Forever
Blue Album of the Year and the Special Achievement in Oceanic Vibe
No one who has never heard of this band could have expected that the Oxford quintet would move their sound in this direction. Their debut, Antidotes, was brassy, metallic and almost inhuman. It wasn’t quite Dick Cheney, but it was a cyborg that was armed with sharp comments and colorful language. The explosive “Cassius” was a hint of good things to come and Total Life Forever shows that this band is not afraid to push their sound in new directions. Even the singer has a notably different approach that is evident from first track, the soulful “Blue Blood.” Focusing on holding an overarching sonic theme, Foals sacrifice pots and pans for deep synths and gorgeous textures to emphasize the new direction. The album’s centerpiece, “Spanish Sahara”, is a magnificent epic that builds steadily, rising in intensity before it crescendos with a blur of synths that peak with nauseous glee, then recedes back out like the tide. Also of note is the single “Miami” that bounces around like a delirious toddler.Total Life Forever is a satisfying and diverse album that successfully builds on a central basic theme, which is like, oceans or something, man. It is a concept album in the best sense, holding a specific mood and setting without getting overly complicated and trying to make some kind of grandiose statement. Its songs stand alone as singles and together as a cohesive whole. Just avoid “This Orient”. And yes, they are sort of like that other Oxford band, but Foals seem to be having more fun with it.
Rating: When you put on your leather jacket after a long summer in storage and it has a 20 dollar bill in the left inside pocket.
