Album Review - Foals // Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost pt.2

A red-hot sun rises from behind a large desert dune, the sand blows across the shot. The camera pans out revealing large, blurred heatwaves. The shot tightens and focuses on the first drum beat showing Foals: Yannis's and gang playing in the middle of a desolate desert. Or *is a dessert?* The band are covered in cloth, bashing out Red Desert, fighting against the blasting wind and sand.

Damn I should direct music videos.

I’m momentarily interrupted by the conductor checking my ticket. Did I mention, I’m actually travelling on a greater Anglia train from Ipswich to Cambridge. I briefly look down at my phone having not even realised that I was listening to the second track The Runner, my sun rising movie intro is simply just the intro to their album and the first shots showing the band come in on this second track. 

'Oh, If I fall down, fall down// Then I know to keep on runnin' headphones back in, I close my eyes; back to the vision. The shots cut between the band playing and also surfing/tumbling down massive sand dunes, rolling on for miles. This is undeniably Foals. This song is full of energy, with the seamless transition from Red Desert putting listeners straight into the thick of it. The song has an optimistic tone, echoed by the chorus's lyrics. The repetitive, upbeat nature of this song's riff means that you will definitely be humming to the tune of it for the next few hours, at least.

Black Bull starts in a similar vein unveiling a much heavier riff than anything we heard off the last album. Blimey, upon the 10th or so listen this song is still managing to make me really, really pumped. This untamed beast of a song does an excellent job combining Yannis’ punchy, percussive vocals with big guitar distortion. And with the consistent shuffle of snare upon bass-drum, one finds it hard to stop their head from nodding. My favourite lines of the song: 'Ooh, tu parlais Anglais?// Can o' Stella, fish fillet?'.

Grizzly guitars fill my ears, this one is a real headbanger.

We move straight into Like Lightening - compared to the last album which we previously described as – “more electronic” “synthier” and liken to '90s dance tracks, this one feels much rockier. It feels sweatier. That changes slightly with Dreaming Of which is more akin to part 1, the dreamier, euphoric vibe. Ikaria is a sweet 00:43 second interlude. A pallet cleanser if you will. Light piano to cool down the crowd.

The band are taking us on a journey. At this point they are gently letting us down. They’ve taken us up – I look out the window and we have stopped at Thurston. Wherever the fuck that is. What a trip, I need to piss. I’m going to ask the man in front of me if he can watch my laptop… Man, if you read this, feel free to add what you like. But its going on the blog.

…

Ah shame, he didn’t add anything and curiously he’s gone. Must have got off at Bury St. Edmunds.

Into the surf opens with reverberated, ethereal strings, upon which a solemn piano progression follows. This sets the tone to the track, which is actually rather poignant, not least when one finds out about its lyrical themes. When Yannis' vocals come in, it's just like adding some super sweet honey to some Greek yoghurt really (or maybe vice versa considering Yannis' Greek heritage.) This song is well placed as the penultimate song of the album and is a great compliment to the other heavier songs.

A new sound. We have come full circle. The sun is going down behind the dunes. Night is falling over the desert, the stars are sparkling through the black. Neptune is a builder. I’m enjoying it, but I can feel there is something more coming. A ten-minute track, thank you. The Spanish Sahara of the album. One to toke to, lie back and let the bliss wash over you.

Where other bands from the mid naughties UK indie scene have struggled to stay relevant or even just faded into obscurity, Foals have not, with this latest LP showcasing their longevity and ability to delve deeper into other rock sub genres. Not only this, it asserts them as probably the biggest UK band playing today (behind Alex and his boys, of course.) This album is going to be an absolute treat when played live.

Album rating? fuck yes/10

Slider & the Goose

(A collaboration between Elliot Bliss and &)