CD of The Week

Foals have always been one of those bands that put out albums you wanted to listen to straight through from beginning to end. Picking up from any one part of the record never really felt right. Same goes for their latest offering Holy Fire. This record took over two years to complete from concept to release, and the time dedication definitely yielded positive results for this Oxford five piece. For their third record, they teamed up with production duo Flood and Alan Moulder (Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails) to release another fantastic Foals record.

The album starts off with an instrumental track simply called "Prelude," which is one of my favorites on the record. It starts slow and builds, eventually turning into a nice indie rock song, setting the table for the rest of the album. The lead single "Inhaler" sounds great as the second track, fitting perfectly after "Prelude." The second single "My Number" seems to be where it’s at, as this is an instant indie rock dance gem. Track five "Everytime" is another stand out track, with lead singer Yannis Phillippakis’ vocals sounding as fantastic as always. The absolute highlight of the record though is "Milk and Black Spiders." The song has that perfect blend of calm electronic and indie sounds that have made Foals so famous. Though it's unclear what or who exactly Phillippakis is singing about in the lyric "I’ve been around two times and found that you’re the only thing I need," it seems that the singer is exposing a personal side of himself, which makes the song that more intriguing.

Foals have released an overall very good record, probably their most mature to date. It’s always great to see a band take such great strides as they have. Holy Fire is another complete work, and a joy to listen to. Be sure to catch Foals in Philadelphia at The Electric Factoryon May 4th.