Oxford quintet Foals are one of the few British rock bands of recent years to have achieved international success without succumbing to, on the one hand, bloated stadium rock, or on the other, no-frills garage indie of the sort purveyed by Arctic Monkeys.
The Yannis Philappakis-led outfit have continued down their own idiosyncratic route on album number four. The default setting is once again thumping punk-funk (with a lush production sheen courtesy of Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford), albeit with some intriguing stylistic detours. In many ways, Foals are the band it looked like Klaxons might become – stylish art-rockers with impeccable influences, but with enough melodies and choruses to keep the masses singing along.
The album kicks off with the title track, a fuzzed-up rocker with a driving rhythm, which gives way to ‘Mountain At My Gates’, a pounding slice of disco-punk with an infectious melody and a catchy keyboard riff. ‘Birch Tree’ opens with a series of Foals’ trademark high-pitched guitar notes, before developing into a moody, though danceable, number with a chanted chorus (“Come meet me by the river – see how it flows”).
Elsewhere, the atmospheric ‘Give It All’ makes stellar use of Eno-esque ambient washes, and even survives the cringingly overwrought lyrics (“You caught the bus, I caught the train / All that’s left are words in the rain”), while ‘Snake Oil’ alternates nicely between a Krautrock groove and Led Zep- style riffing, and the elegiac ‘Night Swimmers’ paints a picture of idyllic summer hedonism.
Perhaps the highlight is ‘London Thunder’, a powerful ode to the titular city built around ringing guitars and otherworldly ambience. With one of the best album titles and sleeves of the year, is another home run for Yannis and the boys.