Band: Foals
Release: Holy Fire (Album)
Release Date: 11/02/2013
Three years after the outstanding Oxford based indie band Foals released their second studio album, the lads back stronger and better than ever with the release of ‘Holy Fire’.
The lyricless mix which kicks off the album (although with occasional shouting) introduces all the different elements that we will discover in this new album. Yannis Philippakis’s screams and the crescendo of the heavy beat recall of the madness people experience at this band’s gigs – anyone who has been lucky enough to see this band live will know!
The album goes on straight away, without further waiting time, into the first single – ‘Inhaler’ – released a few months ago. ‘Inhaler’ is a refreshing track, a fully hyped version of post-punk mixed with funk electronic keyboards and beats. Of course, it keeps to Foals’ trademark sound of groove with Yannis’ voice sounding as deranged and insolent as ever. The chorus comes out as the release of a growing tension and the beat explodes in an orgy of electric and eclectic sounds. The track ends as innocently as it started and leads to another hit from this promising album, ‘My Number’. This feels like we are back in 2010 when the band released the ‘Total Life Forever’ record. The beat – reminiscent to that of previous track, ‘Miami’ – is innocent and we can be sure that this will be a summer and festival success.
Next up is ‘Bad Habit’ – a more emotionally charged sort of statement. The beginning of the track starts as an electric buzzing theme that lies under the whole song and gives the drums an electric beat, impressively delivered by Jack Bevan. The album’s recurring theme sounds like coconuts banging and palm trees at Reading Festival, added with Redbull and Tequila it is another amazing mixture made by Oxford based Foals. ‘Everytime’ brings out again the odd, whining and hard vocals of Yannis Philippakis which translate of, again, emotionally charged lyrics, “Everytime I see you/I won’t sail away”.
‘Late Night’ is probably the outstanding track of this record. As powerful as ‘Spanish Sahara’ was, the band has created a powerful, super hit of a song here, that will surely steal many a music award, with lyrics that centre on regret teamed with a subtle use of irony. ‘Out Of The Woods’ is a more mature song, musically sounding, with again this banging on bamboos type of vibe, but trying to be serious.
‘Milk & Black Spiders’ starts with an echoing shout, bringing on an anthem type of track, with powerful and almost biblical drums appearing in the chorus, which delivers a strong love declaration. The end of the track sounds like a desperate last call, where the band give everything they have. ‘Providence’ begins by introducing Yannis‘ bluesy vocals, delivering powerful and honest lyrics like “I know I cannot be true/I’m an animal just like you”. The track has a much more urgent feel to it until it falls into, almost a psychedelic trance with all instruments reaching their state of madness and ending as quickly as the moment of craziness appeared.
As the tribal drums return on the next track, ‘Stepson’, the song gives you a chill as the musical content reaches perfection. The guitar rings magically, similarly to Santana’s sweet riff, in between some smooth “Ooohooo…” whispers from Yannis. The final track of this record, ‘Moon’ sounds magical and calm and the track fits to its expectations. Foals have been reading us a whole story throughout this record and are now putting us to bed with this cosmic song, until the next album. “It’s the end.” .
10/10
Reviewer: Alice Quintana
