Foals (hailing, their MySpace page says, from
"oXXXford") is a group of formalists, only the form is relatively new: The
British band takes cues from recent dance-rock and post-punk revivalism as much
as the early-'80s stuff that inspired the revival in the first place. On Foals'
debut, Antidotes,
it's easier to hear Les Savy Fav or !!! than Gang Of Four or Bush Tetras, but
that isn't a negative. Thanks in part to indie super-producer David Andrew
Sitek, they've got a vibrant sonic presence, and they write excellent songs.
"The French Open" hops from sharp, modified reggae skank to teeth-bared rock,
while the 2007 single "Mathletics" (a bonus track here, along with another
single, "Hummer") rides a clenched, ingratiating guitar. And Foals even slow it
down a little with real conviction: The slow-rise guitars of "Big Big Love
(Fig. 2)" make it the album's standout.