If Antidotes wasn’t a decent record, you would simply dismiss Foals as being several years too late. Franz Ferdinand have already done this. Bloc Party have already done this. Actually, dozens of bands have already done this. Fortunately for Foals, Antidotes is a decent record. What makes it so good? Well, it’s not the lyrics (vague and indecipherable), it’s not the fluid rhythms (jittery, stop-start math-rock throughout) and it’s not the sing-along choruses (none evident). What makes Antidotes work is the sheer energy with which the band hurl themselves at each song. This isn’t an album you can listen to in a half-hearted way, either. You need to show a similar level of commitment. In fact, a better title might have been For Those About to Sweat.

Transgressive 5144270032

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