Foals – Total LifeForever

Thu 20th May, 2010 in Music Reviews

Total Life Forever, the second album from English band Foals, uncovers a new side of the band while staying true to the intensity of their debut. In some aspects, it’s almost anti- Antidotes. The trumpets are missing, as is any real dance-punk song; these recognised trademarks of the quintet are replaced by a more of a progressive sound, longer tracks and more poignant lyrics.

However, their other well-known and loved trademarks- furious drumming and unconventional picked guitar work- are still mixed in with this new sound and the vocals of lead man Yannis Philippakis are still mostly recognisable.

The album opens with vocals and guitars in Blue Blood. The drums and bass join in to create a fuller sound before an impressive climax of guitars and synthesisers. Miami follows and is marked by the drumming of Jack Bevan, a trademark of Foals’ sound over both albums, and the deep bass of Walter Gervers. Next up is the title track, the shortest song on the album, which features rarely heard (for Foals) backing vocals to Philippakis’ unmistakable lead.

In the chorus of Black Gold, Philippakis explains that ‘the future is not what it used to be’, a statement that is true of Foals: hardcore fans of the Antidotes album would have most likely thought (and hoped) the quintet would stay closer to the dance-punk sound that was prominent on their debut outing and in their renown live shows.

One of the album highlights, Spanish Sahara, marks the half way mark of the record. Soft, spacious guitar supports Philippakis’ falsetto vocals and are eventually met by more guitars, drums and synthesisers. They all build, only to fall back to the simple begins of the song; they rise again, this time climaxing in a rush of synthesisers before feedback from the synth closes one of best tracks on the album. This Orient, the first single, exceeds in the difficult task of following such an impressive track. Again, Bevan’s drumming is central, bashing out a fast beat that recaptures the dance-punk sounds of their debut.

The interlude of Fugue sees Foals’ first attempt at a piano-based track, albeit a fifty-second instrumental one. After Glow gets things going again with its progressive sound that briefly climaxes in a showcase of Foals’ brilliant fusion of drums, guitars and synths. Philippakis’ vocals rise in chorus with the intensity of the build to the song’s peak. Being the third song on the album to clock in at over six minutes, the longer tracks are a clear difference on this album. Alabaster and 2 Trees provide a welcome change of pace, with the latter fading into a murky mixture of sounds.

The fittingly titled What Remains is the perfect finale for the album, again showcasing the talent of each member of Foals and the superb sound they create when their instruments meet and combine with the eclectic Philippakis’ ever-improving voice.

The limited edition of the album comes with a bonus disc that contains fifteen tracks of what seem to be outtakes and demos of the actual album. Made up of mostly instrumental clips, the disc is somewhat pointless. Nonetheless, it will give diehard Foals fans almost half an hour of extra listening. The highlights of the disc are the eight minute Black Gold 2 and the five part TLF.

As a whole, Total Life Forever is a stunning album that reveals a greater, previously unknown depth to Foals, both lyrically and musically.