Finalmente i Foals! Dico questo perché l'esordio della band di Oxford lo attendevo ormai da molti mesi, dopo la pubblicazione di una manciata di interessanti singoli (non compresi nella versione standard del disco). Ebbene proprio questi tre brani, che hanno fatto d'antipasto ad "Antidotes" uscito in questo inizio di 2008, avevano destato in me un certo interesse: "Try This On Your Piano", "Mathletics", "Hummer" mi hanno portato ad incasellare il sound dei Foals tra i primissimi Bloc Party, i Battles ed addirittura qualche ricordo dei King Crimson di "Discipline" soprattutto nell'uso di intrecciati riff dell'elettrica. Insomma i Foals recitano al meglio la parte del Math Rock con quella eterogenea ed insolita struttura ritmica, melodie angolari, sonorità fuori dagli schemi del rock tradizionale, da corde dissonanti e da un grande sperimentazione tecnica. Suoni molto intensi, variegati, uso del synth davvero ben strutturato, percussioni che rimandano alla musica Afro e spazio anche al sassofono. Davvero un convincente esordio.
Anticipato dal sincopato e strumentale singolo "Balloons" e trainato dal non meno ipnotico "Cassius", "Antidotes" si evidenzia per la vivacità e la complessità dei brani che seppur brevi sono in media estremamente articolati. "The French Open" ad esempio con la quale si apre il disco è quasi interamente strumentale e prende spunto dal repertorio dei Battles con in più il tentativo di portare quel tipo di musica ad una fruizione più "popolare". "Red Sock Pugie" si apre e si stende invece su uno sfondo percussivo estenuante attorniato da veli di Synth. Dopo "Olympic Airways", l'ennesimo affascinante strumentale, è in scaletta "Electric Bloom" brano meno vibrante ma dai ricordi musicali post-rock. "Two Steps, Twice", "Like Swimming" e "Big Big Love" sono altri strumentali in chiaro stile Math. "Heavy Water" è brano, anche cantato, più essenziale e pulito basato su batteria e chitarra. Il disco si chiude con "Tron" anch'essa ovviamente ipnotica ma con il sintetizzatore in maggior evidenza, a differenza degli altri brani.
In conclusione "Antidotes" è più in generale i Foals hanno il pregio di sfornare un esordio davvero interessante ed atteso. Portano il disco addirittura al terzo posto, nella settimana d'uscita nei negozi, delle charts UK. "Antidotes" è lavoro non semplice e non commerciale essendo strutturato su una base non propriamente "popolare", ma anche questo è un pregio. Alcuni obietteranno che le musiche dei Foals possano essere troppo ripetitive (cosa vera per altro) ma è proprio questo che alla lunga può paradossalmente essere un punto a favore della band "oxfordiana". Per quanto mi riguarda sarà certamente nella lista dei dischi migliori del 2008.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
02 Cassius (03:49)
Cassius is over!
Cassius away!
Cassius these daydreams, these daydreams okay!
Cassius an accident!
Cassius an accident!
Accident!
Accident!
Accident!
Cassius its over!
Cassius away!
Cassius these daydreams, these daydreams okay!
Lighthouse (Life) is an accident!
The lighthouse (Love) is an accident!
Accident!
Accident!
Accident!
Wish you've gone-a, wish you've gone away, what you've gone-a
What you've got has always gone away
Cassius! Cassius! at best, it's all that we could do
All that we could do
The wind is in, the wind is in my heart, the wind is in-
Now what you've got has always gone away
Cassius! Cassius! at best, it's all that we could do
All that we could do
(Break)
Cassius, is over! You're second best!
Cassius, it's over! You're second best!
It's over! You're second best!
Second best!
Second best!
Second best!
Cassius is over!
Cassius away!
Cassius these daydreams, these daydreams okay!
Lighthouse (Life) is an accident!
The lighthouse (Love) is an accident!
Accident!
Accident!
Accident!
Wish you've gone-a, wish you've gone away, what you've gone-a
What you've got has always gone away
Cassius! Cassius! at best, it's all that we could do
All that we could do
The wind is in, the wind is in my heart, the wind is in-
Now what you've got has always gone away
Cassius! Cassius! at best, it's all that we could do
All that we could do
(Break)
Cassius, is over! You're second best!
Cassius, it's over! You're second best!
It's over! You're second best!
Second best!
Second best!
Second best!
Wish you've gone-a, wish you've gone away, what you've gone-a
What you've got has always gone away
Cassius! Cassius! at best, it's all that we could do
All that we could do
The wind is in, the wind is in my heart, the wind is in-
Now what you've got has always gone away
Cassius! Cassius! at best, it's all that we could do
All that we could do.
04 Olympic Airways (04:18)
Sun up, we wait all day
Sun's up, we wait all day, all day
While the hell outside is kept away
If only we could move away from here
This is how we build a place
An aviary for today
An aviary for today
Let's disappear till tomorrow
Let's disappear till tomorrow
Disappear
Disappear
Disappear
Blow up these plane parades, let's go
To an aviary far from home
To an aviary far from home
A one hand clap is me and you, and you, and you
While the hell outside is kept away
If only we'd moved away
Disappear
Disappear
Disappear
Last vacation was the same
We could move away
Last vacation was the same
We could move away
Last vacation was the same
(The same)
Sun down now
We have built our place
An aviary
Forever
An aviary
Forever
Forever
Forever
Reappear, oh
Reappear, oh
Reappear, oh
Reappear, oh
05 Electric Bloom (04:54)
This is our warning shot, your final call
An empty maw or gurning hearts, hollowed crowns
And all I see is marching bands
Marching bands which never rest in broken stands
Butcherbirds with useless throats
We're not safe of dying kings with plastic knives
It's just another hospital
It's just another, it's just another
Captains made with metal tags
Flags brought down of hollowed crowns
It's everything without a time
It's just a, it's just a
It's just another hospital
It's just another, it's just another
It's just another hospital
It's just another, it's just another
Goodbye all, your marching bands
Laid to rest in broken stands
Butcherbirds will fly away
This is not a warning call nor final shot
All I see is butcherbirds will fly away, electric bloom
It's just another hospital
It's just another, it's just another
It's just another hospital
It's just another, it's just another
06 Balloons (03:01)
There's a thing called
There's this thing called
We fly balloons on this fuel called
We fly balloons on this fuel called love
What's a chkacha?
What's a fuel called?
Fairweather storms are in your head
Fairweather storms are in your head
We fly balloons on this fuel called love
We fly balloons on this fuel called love
We fly balloons on this fuel called
We fly balloons on this fuel called love
There's a thing called
There's a thing called
There's a thing called
There's a thing called
There's a thing called
There's a thing called
There's a thing called
There's a thing called
We fly balloons on this fuel called love
We fly balloons on this fuel called love
We fly balloons on this fuel called
We fly balloons on this fuel called love
We fly balloons on this fuel called love
We fly balloons on this fuel called love
We fly balloons on this fuel called
We fly balloons on this fuel called love
09 Big Big Love (Fig. 2) (05:47)
See how the skulls we built
Fill, all the towers we fill.
crush down fury red
It cracks in our hearts and heads.
Smile Sticks a kiss
That could stop it.
All could be well
See how the skulls we built
Fill, all the towers we fill.
crush down fury red
It cracks in our hearts and heads.
Place we can hide.
Ow, Electric shocks, no! (x8)
See how the skulls we built
Fill, all the towers we fill.
crush down fury red
It cracks in our hearts and heads.
Smile sticks a kiss That could stop (2x)
Smile sticks a kiss
Smile mile sticks a kiss (2x)
All could be well
Ow, Electric shocks, no! (x4)
11 Tron (04:53)
Away, away, in this system there is another country place we could go
Away, away, in this system there is another country place we could go
Away, away, in this system there is flower shock by which I mean to say
Away, away, in this system there is another country place we could go
Away, away, away, away, away, away, away...
If something won't heal, children can't help you out
If something won't heal, children can't help you out
If something won't heal, compass can't help you out
If something won't heal, children can't help you out
Away, away, in this system there is a flower shock by which I mean to say
Away, away, in this system there is another country place we could go
Away, away, away, away, away, away, away...
Waste this all away!
If something won't heal, children can't help us out
If something won't heal, children can't help us out
If something won't heal, compass can't help you out
Nothing's gonna end - why don't we quiet down?
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