Holy Fire

As an ardent fan of the indie artists that have been coming out of Oxford, England since the late 80's/early 90's and into the present (from stalwarts like Ride, Talulah Gosh, Swervedriver, Dustball and Radiohead to current gems like Spring Offensive, Wild Swim and Rhosyn), I had read plenty about Foals before I actually took a listen to their first two albums. Antidotes (their debut) was up first - after playing it through, it became clear to me, straight away, why they were already considered to be legends in the making within Oxford. Their knack for infectious/spastic guitar riffs, bombastic melodies and frenetically charming drum sections more then made them an instant favourite with my ear drums. Then came Total Life Forever, a comparatively dialed down yet funky and soulful follow up (Spanish Sahara is worth the price admission all by itself) that more than lived up to the hype it produced following its release. It was back in autumn of this year that I downloaded Holy Fire, as by then, I had a become a HUGE Foals fan. Upon first listen, I couldn't decide what to make of it. The general sound of this offering was quite unlike the first two (as seems to be a natural transition for any artist that wants to remain fresh and innovative) and it took a bit to for HF to really sink into my musical subconscious. It was around the 5th time I listened to it all the way through, that I began to realize how brilliant this album is. It's rare when you can go through a record, track by track, and you discover that it's seamless in terms of its quality. Standout tracks for me include Bad Habit, Out of the Woods, Providence and Stepson. With Holy Fire, Yannis Phillipakis and Co have not only raised the bar for any budding math/disco rock outfits waiting in the wings, they've provided further evidence that the UK is miles ahead of the US when it comes to music that's actually worth buying.

Product arrived in excellent condition

foals, no band out there quite like them. i haven't even received my cd yet, (it was shipped today on schedule) but i wanted to write a review. all three of foals' albums are great in their own unique way. from what i've heard so far from HOLY FIRE, i'd have to say it's an instant hit in my, and i'm sure a lot of other foals' fan's books. MY NUMBER is the first track i fell for. as i compose this, i'm listening to the closing track titled MOON. brilliant. enchanting. this song makes me sit back and stare into space, and know. i can say that this cd will not depart from my car's cd player for at least two weeks. another gem for the soundtrack to my life. stoked....

The Foals are one of my favorite vocal oriented bands! The music pulls on my heartstrings and I feel the pain of lost love...but alas I am old enough to know that people leave for good reason & this creates room for others to enter!!

This is a great album. If you like alternative rock, give this a try. If you're on the fence, at least listen to it on YouTube; then, buy the album because you realize it's great.

Picked this up after the concert back in April. I had seen them before several years back at the Treasure Island Fest, and enjoyed them, but not enough to spring for the CD. However, that show was fantastic, and this CD is amazing. I've easily listened to it more than anything else in my collection in the past 4 months, and it has been in constant rotation. Really wonderful.

I am fascinated with the music of the mult-talented Foals; every number is noteworthy on this CD.

I listened to this album before I bought it, had good expectations based on their previous albums, but it blew me away. I bought it because this is exactly the kind of hard work and talent you have to support. It's soothing and powerful, creating a wave-like motion of feelings and sounds that leave you feeling energized yet peaceful by the end. It has definitely become one of my favorite albums.

前作よりも更に一歩踏み込んだ内容。聴きやすく肌に馴染みやすい感覚。個人的には前作よりも入っていける感がある。とにかく良い。

Die Foals und ich: Bisher gab es da keine Liebe. "Antitodes", "Total Life Forever", das Nicht-so-wirklich-Album "Tapes" - das alles hat nicht zu mir gesprochen. Und jetzt das, ein Ereignis wie einst Jürgen Kohler: Wenn man gewinnen will, muss man erst mal dran vorbei. Fragen Sie mal Marco van Basten. Kurz: Wer auch immer den persönlichen Titel zur Platte des Jahres haben will, der muss erst mal an "Holy Fire" vorbei. Elf Freunde sollen sie sein, die Songs auf der Platte. Und auch wenn der Torwart "Prelude", der rechte Außenstürmer "Moon" und der Spielmacher "Stepson" schwächeln - einen Titel gewinnt man über die Verteidigung: Da sind die beiden Außen, "Inhaler" auf rechts und "My Number" auf links, sowie der Star der Mannschaft, der Sechser "Late Night". "Inhaler" ist total abgeklärt und packt auch mal die Metall-Grätsche aus, wenn er will. "My Number" hingegen ist eher verspielt. Ein Dribbler vor dem Herrn, der die Gegner elegant austanzt. "Late Night" hingegen ist die Ruhe selbst. Er braucht ein wenig, um ins Spiel zu kommen - aber im Laufe der Spielzeit reißt er die Partie an sich und triumphiert. Das ist Weltklasse. Der Rest der Truppe kann sich ebenfalls sehen lassen. "Bad Habit" spielt zwar am Anfang des Spiels den ein oder anderen Fehlpass, findet dann aber doch ins Match. "Everytime", der zweite Innenverteidiger, tacklet die Gegner weg, zupft am Trikot und spielt ein wenig auf Zeit. Der linke Außenstürmer ist ein typischer Siebener. Wie sein Hintermann "My Number" kommt er über die Eleganz, ist nicht ganz so der Dribbler, aber lässt dennoch die Gegner reihenweise aussteigen. Und dann wäre da noch der Mittelstürmer in diesem 4-5-1-System. "Providence" ist der Thomas Müller unter den Songs. Wirkt immer ein wenig ungelenk und dann schenkt er dem Gegner doch noch einen ein. Keine Ahnung, ob "Holy Fire" den Champions-League-Titel unter den Platten des Jahres gewinnen kann. Aber eine nationale Meisterschaft ist dennoch drin.

Todo muy bien, entrega en tiempo y el producto sin detalles.

God, I love Foals. I was so lucky getting to know them during those early stages when they had no albums, but, when something amazing comes to life, you get that realisation, the shiver down your spine, that you are witnessing something magnificent. And then there was "Antodites" and then there was "Total Life Forever" (still not really sure about that one), and then this - "Holy Fire" - Foals lived up to all the expectations! They are now kings in their own musical rights, and I guess they will have nothing else to prove, but they will never stop experimenting. The album is addictive. Along with their other albums, the songs constantly pop up within my 25 most listened tracks. I just simply cannot stop listening to it. This is beautiful music. Beautiful songs that caught you unguarged, tracks that make you sad and than tracks that make you want to dance (ah, those guitar patterns!), so desperately; incredible noise, the album is changing and gripping and evolving, so much is happening within an hour's space. If you haven't bought this yet, stop hesitating, it is really worth every penny! The album is contemporary music of the utmost quality. Perfect from start to finish, there is no song you want to skip (and how many albums can boast that?). I gave up and gave in and bought copies for my friends. Go see them live. BUY THE ALBUM. Go see them live again. You have to see them live for the full effect. And you thought the album was just good!

Foals did it again. Love their stuff.