The highly anticipated Foals album, What Went Down, came out yesterday, on 28th August to highly expectant fans. After teasing us with a few thematically enigmatic singles, including ‘What Went Down,’ the very heavy and intense title track, chants of “dark and heavy, dark and heavy” from fans, and descriptions of the album from insiders which centred on how feral and unhinged it sounded allowed us to expect something incredibly intense and exciting without inhibition. However, the subsequent single releases such as ‘A Knife in The Ocean’ and ‘London Thunder’ betray a death and sensibility that prevents it from being completely deranged.
The lead single, ‘What Went Down’ works beautifully as an introduction as it is not simply functional as ‘Prelude’ was on their previous album, Holy Fire. It is a beautiful elongated composition that takes you on a wild, thrilling ride, while still easing you into the album gently with its ambient intro. The biting chant of the chorus, “When I see a man, I see a liar” shows how the band’s sound has matured even more, becoming even grittier. The time signature change from 4/4 to 3/4 in the bridge is a throwback to the math-rock days of Yannis and Jack in The Edmund Fitzgerald, yet the ambient soundscape that they developed in their last two albums remains, allowing a perfect blend of the old and new Foals, as well as the added edge of power chords and increased intensity.
The next song, ‘Mountain At My Gates’ doesn’t start off as angry or intense as the title track, but employs Foals’ distinctive use of climax to delve into a chaotic end. The album then continues to become very diverse and creative, featuring a vast use of different elements and blends of different genres, from the funk of ‘Birch Tree’ to the almost psychedelic ‘Give It All,’ which is very weird and hypnotic sonically, showing a new dimension that the band have added to their sound.
The lead singer, Yannis Philippakis’, vocals have become stronger and grungier and he is more ambitious in this album, yet still continues to show his softer side in songs such as ‘Give It All’ and ‘London Thunder.’ The use of his lower register in ‘Lonely Hunter’ is refreshing and enriches the album. In ‘London Thunder,’ the piano sound shows how far the band’s sound has developed from when they first started out with songs such as ‘Try This On Your Piano,’ when Andrew Mears was their lead singer. Lyrically, the album shows the band remaining very poetic and concise, crafting their songs in a beautifully descriptive manner without being superfluous with words. The heavy riffs and excitement return in ‘Snake Oil’.
All in all the album, while not really living up to expectations of it being completely disconnected and propelled by pure energy and rage, is another wonderful addition to Foals’ bank of carefully crafted music. The potential chaotic freedom was lost in the careful art of crafting it (as both purposes cannot coexist), it is a successful creation and will likely be substantiated and explored to new exciting and orgasmic levels in their live performances, as only Foals can do best.
Words by Samm Anga