14/08/2015

Album Review: Foals - 'What Went Down'


Words originally for Outline Magazine
Release Date: August 28th, 2015
Label: Transgressive

I’ve never been a fan of Oxford quintet Foals’ brash style of rock so I was surprised to find myself hooked on their comeback single What Went Down last month. Safe to say the album lives up to the hype of its phenomenal title track, simultaneously throwing up a whole range of surprises from its arsenal of alt-pop ballistics. Mountain at My Gates and Birch Tree are calm openers, similar to 2010’s Total Life Forever but exchanging keyboards and synths for guitars that, despite sounding dangerously Coldplay B-side-y, fit in comfortably. The dramatic Albatross raises the tempo like a call to arms for live music fans; no doubt one hell of a show will come from this album. Snake Oil is angsty and confrontational – somewhere between the Black Keys and Drenge – whilst the chirpy Night Swimmers dances on the fine line between timeless indie anthem and Radio 1 A-list wannabe. London Thunder is a pensive reflection beautifully crafted in Yannis Philippakis’ introspective lyrics, “Lost my mind in San Francisco / A worn out disco, my temper’s cool”. The penultimate Lonely Hunter is cool and refreshing with its fleeting melody and jangly percussion, leading effortlessly into the album’s epic closer A Knife in the Ocean, 7 minutes of crashing cymbals and twinkling synthesizers, closing a dramatic record with powerful finesse. What Went Down may not be what Foals dedicatees have been expecting but it’s a bold step forward for a band quickly claiming their rightful spot in this generation’s musical landscape.

9/10

07/08/2015

Album Review: Georgia - 'Georgia'

Words originally for Outline Magazine.
Label: Domino Recs
Release Date: August 7th, 2015

Pop culture has never been an easy game to play – one wrong step can land a genuine talent in a mess of backing tracks and label exploitation – but London based Georgia seems to have been one of the lucky escapees, based on her effortlessly cool self-titled debut album, out now on Domino Records. Following in the footsteps of Charli XCX and Katy B, her edgy, electro-pop sound is silky and infectious on the surface but grimy and powerful underneath. Lead single Nothing Solutions is Disclosure meets Chvrches, an audacious mix of retro synths and confident vocals. Digits draws from early 00’s grime and hyper-melodic west London dub influences, whereas Heart Wrecking Animals is “perhaps the most singer songwriter-y song [on the album]” says Georgia, “I didn’t want it to have a drum beat on it, I just wanted it to be quite a beautiful little piece of music with just vocals and a string line”. My highlight is the album opener Kombine which, despite being the most stereotypically ‘pop’ song on the record, mixes lo-fi vocals with a pounding bass line and fizzing, futuristic synthesizers to create an illuminated, high-concept sound-design which forefronts an impressive debut album, revealing new layers of intrigue and ingenuity with every listen.

8/10