Foals - Total Life Forever

Rightly or wrongly, 2008's debut Foals LP Antidotes – while well-received – was oft-described as a sort of cerebral nu-rave (as if a 'smarter Klaxons' is anything the world ever needed to hear). It's not a label anyone wants to stick, is it? With that potential for pigeonholing in mind, it appears that in releasing Total Life Forever the Oxford five-piece have built on what in reality was a very promising debut to expand their musical repertoire greatly. Opener Blue Blood grooves in a moody, post-punk manner into the somewhat blingin' Miami, with its zealous production methods proving a marker for the varied route the rest of the album takes. Whilst straight pop sensibilities abound on 2 Trees and first single The Orient, as a whole Total Life Forever is a testament to clever, complex (and usually schizophrenic – see After Glow) rock-based soundscapes which are pleasantly challenging yet breezily accessible. [Wilbur Kane]