Download of the Week: Foals – Antidotes
Getting called 'the next big thing' in music is hardly unique. For it to be bordering on the truth is much rarer. For every Arctic Monkeys there are
Getting called ‘the next big thing’ in music is hardly unique. For it to be bordering on the truth is much rarer. For every Arctic Monkeys there are 10 Jets, so for Foals to show such promise on their debut album is pretty exciting.It would’ve been easy for the Oxford five-piece to make Antidotes sound like the cast of Skins trashing a house party with The Klaxons. It would certainly have guaranteed a Mercury shortlist spot and a stratospheric rise to fame. But dig below the Shoreditch veneer and there’s a band rooted in minimalist composer Steve Reich, geeky math rock and, erm, Gwen Stefani. The band themselves call it ‘psychedelic pop’ but the casual ear is more likely to call it dance music player on ‘proper’ instruments.Foals certainly don’t make ‘math rock’ in its traditional form but the inspiration is clear. Guitars criss-cross and slither over one another, but the danceable indie beats of Antidotes share more in common with Bloc Party’s Helicopter than anything by chin-stroking, music mathematicians Hella.That’s not to say there isn’t depth hidden among the haircuts and hi-hats though. There’s plenty on Antidotes to keep you coming back long after the initial hype has died down. Check it out DRM-free on 7digital right now.
Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief