Product Description This is the debut from Oxford, England's five-piece dance-rock band. Completing the circuit between the minimalism of American composer Steve Reich, guitars that sound like insects, and tennis player Andy Roddick, theirs is a uniquely winning formula. Driving percussion high in the mix, guitars played above the 12th fret, no chords, and splashes of synth color all come together like the schematics for a piece of precision engineering. .com It's hardly the cure for anything but Antidotes, the debut album from Oxford's Foals, is a strong addition to the eternal tradition of dance-friendly art rock most recently exemplified by Franz Ferdinand and Klaxons. The five ex-public schoolboys that make up Oxford's Foals are hardly lacking self-confidence--comically cocky frontman Yannis Phillipakis could annoy for the nation and the band rejected producer David Sitek's original mix--but Antidotes is anything but pony. After spending their youth in rigorous "math rock" outfits, Foals started out in 2005 with the stated intention of having fun. Rather delightfully, this amounted to the discovery that audiences are well disposed to acts they can dance to. A clutch of well-received singles and a guest spot on popular sixth-form satire Skins sealed their popularity. Their origins in academic rock are sometimes obvious, but fine drummer Jack Bevan keeps things moving throughout. Opener "The French Open", with its gleeful chanted vocals (in French) and fashionable Afrobeat tinged guitar lines, evokes Talking Heads' dada nonsense classic "I Zimbra", itself older than any Foal. First top thirty hit "Cassius" saw jazz-punk back in the charts for the first time since that perennial football crowd favourite "Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag". "Olympic Airways" is a charming if oblique tale of escape that couldn't be further from the bus stop/chip shop style while "Red Socks Pugie" already sounds like a single in waiting. The lyrics might charitably be described as impressionistic and Phillipakis's voice remains nondescript. But with better tunes than Bloc Party and a self-conscious precision that recalls Mogwai in their pomp, the effortlessly pretentious Foals are unmistakably the sound of 2008. --Steve Jelbert
M**T
Excellent, Deceptively Dark Post-Punk
I was listening to this record periodically on the official Foals YouTube channel over the last year, and finally decided to get a copy. This record has a freshness and urgency approximately 13 years later that still translates well. Based on an interview dated around the same time as this record, I believe that quite a lot of the lyrical subject matter deals with singer Yannis Phillipakis' family and personal issues stemming from a dysfunctional family upbringing. This lends a LOT of power to both the lyrics and their vocal delivery, and I think that's something that gets lost on a lot of people who tend to focus more on such musical elements as the danceable beats or the apparent math rock qualities (honestly, they're just using a lot of syncopation and odd meter; it isn't nearly as mathy as groups like Periphery). This is a deceptively DARK record, as a result, which is how I like it sometimes. It may not be your thing, so go listen to it and maybe others on the Foals YouTube channel first, and see how they evolved from this to what they're better known for doing. I think this one is my favorite of them all.
T**D
Give it a couple of listens.
I got into Foals with their What Went Down album. That is an awesome album so wanted to check out their others. I got Antidotes and at first listen was a little disappointed. It is a little more punk than I was expecting. However after the second listen through, it made my daily playlist and now I love this album. It has a little different sound but it is still Foals and that is what makes it great. I have three of their albums now and there isn’t a bad song on any of the albums. This is highly recommended.
S**Z
Excelente vinilo
Un muy buen disco, uno de los mejores trabajos de esta banda. Suena perfecto. Envio fácil rápido y seguro.
N**A
Excellent album
I bought this for Christmas for my fiance because Foals is his number one favorite. The record itself was in perfect condition, but during shipping the sleeve got slightly damaged. It's not a big deal to us, but to some people it could be a huge one. Other than that, though, it was great.
I**Z
Really great and energetic indie rock.
It has alot of good fast paste songs like cassius and olympic airways. It sort of failed on the slow end but its not this bands style to give slow and heavy ballads. So if you want to somthing to rock out to Antidotes is for you.
M**S
Yes you should buy this.
I'm a foals fan, I love most Antidotes tracks. I admit that Holy Fire is a bit more accessible. Antidotes is smart and brash and beautifully convoluted.
D**L
Great service
Great album and great service
J**N
Stunning debut album
Stunning debut album
M**A
Love it
Great album
D**A
Buen disco
Llegó a tiempo, producto original
E**A
Este Album ha sido de mis mejores sorpresas
Este Album se me hace un excelente album debut y en su genero es la mismisa onda la verdad, es genial
A**R
Three Stars
Edges were crumpled so disappointed since this record is my fav foals record
Y**H
Fascinado con el album
Audio perfecto compra satisfactoria recomendado
