Foal
n. The young offspring of a horse or other equine animal, especially one under a year old.
It’s tough to live up to hype, especially when hailing from the big mouths of the overenthusiastic UK press.
Foals are an indie/math rock five-piece from Oxford, England. Headed by singer/guitarist Yannis Philippakis, the sprightly lads produce a distinct brand of dance rock that sounds like Battles on crystal meth. (Many critics have mislabeled the band as “emo,” presumably because of their tight jeans and Yannis’ layered ‘do.)
Their debut LP Antidotes, released on April 8th by Sub Pop, was initially produced by TV On the Radio’s Dave Sitek, but the band scrapped Sitek’s mix and decided to remix the album themselves because Mr. Sitek, as expected, stacked the album in heavy reverb, rendering it too “spacey” for Foals’ liking.
Despite playing the same venue just two months prior, the evening’s show was a sell-out stacked full of - as is customary with UK buzz bands - pretty young things. Unfortunately, one of these birds had a few too many, and effectively annoyed the entire front row of fans with her strident, Valley Girl voice. Thankfully, her obnoxious banter was drowned out when Foals took the stage.
The band launched right into “The French Open,” sporting a galloping guitar line reminiscent of Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman” (you know, the song Talib Kweli samples in “Get By,” from The Thomas Crown Affair flick), along with French lyrics from a Lacoste advert about “a wasted game,” that Yannis has stated in previous interviews is dedicated to U.S. tennis star Andy Roddick (sponsored by Lacoste), who has the fastest serve in the game but can’t win worth a damn.
Foals’ generate their unique brand of tunes through polyrhythmic guitars pounding out arpeggiated chords, punctuated by shout-along choruses, lending them a very “full” sound. This technique is most evident on the shimmering “Cassius,” and their pair of popular digital download-only singles “Mathletics” and “Hummer.”
“Two Steps Twice” is arguably their most infectious track, slowly crescendoing into complete and utter chaos, its shout-y chorus a desperate plea for sweaty dancing. (Think: Battles’ “Tonto” ratcheted to Mach 50.) And yes, the game crowd obliged.
Foals have a particularly unique stage setup, with the mic stands and guitarists aimed perpendicular to the stage, facing each other. You would think this would lessen their rapport with the crowd but, at least on this evening, just the opposite was true.
Recent single “Red Sock Pugie” wows with its powerful, heartfelt chorus, and on “Electric Bloom,” lead singer Yannis sang and furiously pounded a stand-up bass drum simultaneously.
Unlike previous shows, the band added a saxophone player to their live outfit, enhancing their overall aesthetic, especially during the mind-blowing 2-minute instrumental freak-out at the end of “Heavy Water,” which found the entire band frantically jumping and whipping about in circles.
While other UK buzz bands act like they’re simply going through the motions when they cross the Atlantic, seemingly fulfilling label obligations to try and “break” the States - ahem, Arctic Monkeys - Foals are devoid of cynicism, and their unbridled enthusiasm spread throughout the entire venue, leaving the concertgoers sweaty and smiling by shows end.
Believe the hype.
--Marlow Stern [May 7, 2008]
