The British quintet Foals has its origins in mathcore. However, it debuted in 2008 with , an album full of energetic punk funk combined with strong songs rooted in Britpop and new wave. Holy Fire is their third album. The group seems to want to sound bigger and bigger, using strings and electronics, placed in a reverberating wall of sound that was provided by star producers Flood & Moulder. A
… weak spot nevertheless remains the somewhat uniform vocals of guitarist / singer Yannis Philippakis. But the strength of the group also remains unchanged: the driving, stuttering and scratching guitar parts that give the songs excitement against an imperturbably pumping groove. Sometimes strong songs arise from this, such as the complaining Late Night or the single Inhaler. Foals is a guitar band unwillingly and therefore the added bombast often seems superfluous. That only conceals and flattens the sacred fire. (MR)more
