Foals - Antidotes

Forget Skins, Sitek and any of the hyperbolic claptrap, Foals' debut long-player Antidotes is what we've all been waiting for. Amidst the anticipatory rainforest of lip-licking column inches, it's felt like an eternity since the Oxford quintet released rocket fuelled algo-ryhthm Hummer and its omission here is of little surprise. Y'see, Foals today are a far more dynamic proposition than 12 months ago. Their reliance on zesty Zimbabwean afro beats has diminished - replaced with the bulbous basslines of Olympic Airways and Electic Bloom – while the overindulgent guitar spindling is less frequent, protruding only as an accomplice to shuffling numbers like the dashing Two Steps, Twice. Thankfully, their predilection for churning out glitch-riddled cranks of infidel pop remains intact, bubbling away through the veins of magnificent hot-footers Cassius and Balloons. Yes, it's prudent to dismiss the hype but, with Antidotes, Foals prove there's always exceptions to the rule. [Billy Hamilton]