A Year in Records #9: Foals - Antidotes

Coming into 2008, several genres commonly associated with Foals were either in crisis or hampered by growing pains: dance-punk was becoming as stale as week-old bread; math rock had been bolstered by the success and acclaim of Battles’ Mirrored, but lacked commercial viability; and radio friendly ‘indie’ had already been administered its last rites. Music critics, bloggers and fans touted Foals as a superhero that might save the day. The band, however, didn’t set their expectations so high: “I don't think we're going to change the mainstream appreciation of music but at the very least [people] will get into us,” frontman Yannis Philippakis imparted to the Skinny in March. But while Antidotes may not be a game-changer of a record, it does offer a staggering affirmation that it’s possible to have an intelligent and challenging – yet entirely danceable – pop record that still appeals to the masses.

Marrying guitar tones reminiscent of Don Caballero to simpler rhythms, the band achieves its success through avoiding pretension, instead crafting engaging melodies, ranging from anxious tracks like Cassius to spacey, atmospheric build-ups such as Heavy Water. Another triumph of the record – considering it followed a string of glowing live reviews – is that it fully captures the vitality of the band. Their attitude, which seems equal parts 'Can Do' and 'Fuck You', also makes them fine candidates to overcome the sophomore slump experienced by most ‘hype’ bands. At the very least, though, they’ll be remembered in 2008 for injecting the Antidote for dull and derivative dance rock. 

Video: Cassius