Holy Fire

Foals: more than just a British band

The Oxford-based five-piece Foals were not long ago just another promising band, one of many that emerge annually on the music map of the Great Britain, where talents are countless. Five years ago, the young and inexperienced, ambitious and decisive, they signed their first professional contract; and today, the third studio long player by these Englishmen called Holy Fire is one of the most highly anticipated and widely discussed records in 2013, which is for the right reason. Foals first albums raised a stir in the public. Open-minded, loaded with interesting ideas, these musicians first demonstrated how great their potential is, and then made it clear that the first success was not a spontaneous and one-day thing, but a first step to big triumphs. Needless to say, Foals have set themselves against very high standards and now they simply have no right to make a mistake, but the ensemble’s loyal followers, who support the musicians both on their home soil and far abroad, are confident that they will do everything to make the third album a great treat.

Sudden beginning and confident buildup

These eleven songs of Holy Fire are just enough to enjoy the record in full, and not too many to get tired of it. Foals take a decision to waste no time on warming up and offer the opener that will leave you in a condition mixing delight, surprise and confusion. The menacing, tensed beginning in shape of Prelude makes you believe Foals have prepared a powerful epic album with a tough temper and heavy sounding. The following track solidifies this effect, mainly thank to the unexpected guitar distortion. However, the growing tendency is cut short by single My Number executed in the format of an indie rock hit, a real bait for the genre’s lovers. The first song to really remind of Foals is Bad Habit, demonstrating the style essentials: light thrilling guitar, solid rhythmic layer and fantastic melodiousness. Everytime, and Late Night follow the same direction, but the former’s appeal is the peculiar instrumental background, while the latter’s is dance rhythms and light melancholy.

Holy Fire: a little bit of everything good

The closer Holy Fire gets to the end, the stronger is its resemblance to the predecessor, Total Life Forever (2010). The mid tempo, moderate guitars and thoughtful, slightly sad vocals are what these songs about. The one looking more prominent than the others is Providence, where the musicians took liberty of experimenting with rhythmic breaks, which made it more like blues. The concluding song, Moon, is a perfect final statement, beautifully and elegantly closing the set of the record. It is apparent that Foals put quality before quantity, which left no room for any mediocre or weak tracks. The main advantage of the new album is an almost ideal balance between the vibe of the debut and emotiveness of the sophomore long players. Yet Holy Fire is not only redoing the highlights of the previous two efforts by Foals. We can see how the band, within the frames of just one album, manages to manufacture a multidimensional material with everything from danceable, concert-aimed tracks to touching songs sending shivers down your spine.