Oxford band soaks up the NY scene on debut full length
Posted by Christian Carey in UncategorizedFoals
Antidotes
Sub Pop SPCD 775 (www.subpop.com)
After releasing promising singles such as “Mathletics” and “Hummer,” Oxford quintet Foals decamped to NY to record their debut full length CD. There, they enlisted the help of producer Dave Sitek, whose main gig is as the guitarist for ascendant stars TV on the Radio. Apparently, Foals decided to remix the CD themselves late in the game, but the influence of both locale and producer on Antidotes is still palpable. Indeed, those who have picked up the Sub Pop US release will be able to easily compare the new tracks with the band’s aforementioned singles, which are included as bonus tracks. While both sets of material feature an abundantly energetic and talented band, the latest studio recordings are more rhythmically supple, intricately arranged (note the horn charts), and sonically rich.
There’s a dancing vibrancy on Antidotes that one might associate with the resurgent interest in New Wave/college rock on the part of a number of indie bands; but to pigeonhole Foals as merely paying homage to artists such as the Talking Heads or Television would be a mistake. There is a charming steadfastness to their material; Foals are unafraid to follow their muse, even if it guides them towards similar mid-tempo grooves and familiar harmonic changes on a number of Antidotes’ songs. But the group’s ability to create diversity despite these similarities causes the whole recording to cohere into a wonderfully wrought, eminently tuneful collection.
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