Making good music is not about putting notes together by simple, generic instructions like it is some kind of kinder egg toy. Boys from Oxford are really dedicated to their work. Just as their previous albums, What Went Down is a perfect manifestation of how careful and complex approach to concept helps artists develop their creative sound and theme.
Praised by the critics, they have crystallized into a respectful indie rock band and never drowned into the ocean of similar bends. Adding audio ornaments to their music is what made them stand out. Antidotes, an innovative debut album, has catapulted Foals to the top of the charts. Their latest release is close to it. Guitars, subtle riffs and a gorgeous vocal of Yannis Phillippakis are undoubtly pleasurable. By sentiment and the vocal expression, lead singer’s voice remind us of Billy McCarthy from Augustines. To be honest, the whole style of What Went Down album (alternative rock with art rock and post-rock influences) is close to the second album of Augustines. It also incorporates a lot of dance and baroque-pop elements that The Decembrists are famous for, which is especially notable in the math-rockish lead number What Went Down.
Beautiful ballade Give It All is one of the most vulnerable songs the band has ever made. Soft, sad but strong, it serves as a pearl of an album and a latent conclusion how vulnerability is a form of strength. London Thunder has a similar tone and it is, the most successful song on the album production wise. Majority of the album is in slow tempo with experimental background emerging and lighting up the fire in your ears and hearts. Albatross is maybe the only hardcore upbeat song.
Overall, Foals are here again to remind us how consistent they are. Even though this is not their best release (Antidotes owns the throne), it is definitely something worth having in your indie rock collection.
