In their new album, Total Life Forever, Oxford dropouts Foals create smart and polished music. Relying on keyboards, they update classic 80s pop with intricate bass-lines and manage to preserve their optimistic sound with added maturity. Their music is an acquired taste, but its oddities unite to form a sound that is pleasant and catchy.
The opening song, ?Blue Blood,? slowly begins with a xylophone, keyboard and slow whiny singing, leaving me apprehensive about listening to the remainder of the album. As the song progresses, a bass and steady drum beat add complexity and appeal.
Throughout this album, lead singer Yannis Philippakis lacks force and power in his voice. When combined with just a keyboard, it seems incomplete but at times certain times his voice compliments expressive lyrics like ?You?ve got the blood on your hands, I know it?s my own/ You came at me in the middle of the night to show me my soul.?
With an elongated crescendo and a simplistic melody, ?Spanish Sahara? is the most unique and memorable song on the entire album. The song?s focus on Philippakis? soft voice and thought-provoking lyrics, such as ?it?s future rust and then it?s future dust,? leave the listener speechless. The crescendo, while seemingly minor, compliments the lyrics to lead up to Philippakis? grand expression of his emotions.
One of the highlights of the album is ?Miami,? which begins with a classic 80s beat, but develops into a modern pop song with a powercharged chorus. The slower beat is refreshing on an album that consists fast tempos.
In the title track, the band visits their past and their first album, Antidotes. The song includes a high energy chorus, a fast paced keyboard, and heavy-guitar strumming. It?s a light, joyful track among an album full of emotional weight.
In contrast to Antidotes, this album is more experimental and strays away from flashy frivolities, showing a level of depth and maturity. Total Life Forever is not going to be remembered as a classic, but their bold choices create an album that challenges the standards of what is generally accepted as good music.