The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the Week: ‘The Future’ by Patman (V’s Further Into)

Lets get some bass in, though not before we have the guitar and beat combo first. After that though, you can already hear it for a moment as the pace picks up on the beat and the vocals do their oh-ho-oh-ho. At the minute mark, there it is, in all it’s dancing glory, that bass that works together with the guitar and the percussion to get the people do the ditty. Then the vocals come in, singing that they have seen the Future and it will work! That’s good news (though bad if you consider it is a famous quotation from Lincoln Steffens on the early Soviet society). That all doesn’t matter, we are in Gotham now boy! After the chorus the bass comes back in full glory to get all y’all dancing once more, after which Prince does his singing thing again, which in combination with his guitar thing, and Valique’s ear for the catchy dancefloor stuff, eventually results in a nice, funky groove to get your booty shaking to.

‘Don’t You Want My Love’ by Debbie Jacobs (Alkalino remix)

Alkalino starts with the percussion, though it is the sharp guitar that steals the show early on. That guitar leads the way, with a nice rhythm combo of bass and percussion to follow. Soon enough it goes fast paced and high energy, with a super speedy drum and bass as the canvas to get the handclaps on and, at 1:30, those beautiful disco sounds that are so characteristic for the genre. At 1:45 we get the horns in too, which is always a good sign, and now it is just waiting for those strong, female vocals, which come in just before the two minute mark, singing Don’t you want, my love?. And now, who wouldn’t want your love, baby? After the vocal bit Alkalino dives right back into the bass and beat high energy, making sure the dancefloor has all it can handle. At about 3:10 the vocals return to, again, ask if you don’t want her love in all its basking disco glory, and after this set of vocals it seems as the song speeds up even more, also courtesy of the horns that come in full throttle. And rest assured, Alkalino won’t let up throughout this seven minute affair, giving you that crazy dancefloor goodness from way back when in this Debbie Jacobs edit. And now, who doesn’t want a slice of that lovin’, eh?

‘Ringtone’ by YACHT (Joe Goddard remix)

YACHT just started their European tour, and I was lucky enough to be there when they kicked it off with a set including this track off of their new (ace) album. Joe Goddard gets a nice bassy synth rolling, taking that as the backbone to this one. At 1:20 we actually get a little ringtone there, joining the playfulness of YACHT. At about the 1:35 mark we get a slightly paced up, rhythmic vocal, still accompanied by that bassy backbone. At 2:10 that sound is deleted, instead going for a beat as the vocals change. Instead of the rock-out in the original now we still have those vocals, but with simply a drum that morphs into that bass sound again as the track gets back to the dancey verse. Joe Goddard is from Hot Chip, so he knows how to get the catchy going, and with YACHT you’ve got some excellent material to work with, because those smart, cheeky people over there also know how to get the fun and the catchy into their songs (along with some contemplations on the future and that sort of stuff). Goddard keeps it rolling throughout the track, making it a nice fit for a bit of that dirty dancing in a disco set.

‘Petals’ by Bibio

Bibio starts this short track out with some piano, looping that sound to build upon it. Soon the vocals come in, singing achingly about teary eyes, knowing that it would kill you. The vocals sound nice and removed, working together sweetly with the piano and assorted instruments. The light piano is juxtaposed nicely with some deeper piano tones, and throughout the track Bibio weaves some sounds in and out to colour it all in. You know it’ll hurt you, he sings, and the petals that turn to mush, they Still disappoint you. He’s got such a good ear for what works together, and listening to this it all fits and it all just works together to create a whole, in unity. Even the vocal delivery just matches the whole instrument thing perfectly. Apparently a teaser for a new album coming next year. Then again, how early is next year? Geez, time eh, how fast did you want that to pass? But I guess that’s kind of a theme in this song too.

‘Give It All’ by Foals (Lindstrom remix)

Put on your dancing shoes, because Lindstrom is one of those guys that you can send for a message. He knows how to get that momentum going, that loop in place, and to ride it out until your legs can’t ride it no more. He starts with a nice, full sound, adding some fast paced synths in there at one point to juxtapose the lazier sound that’s already there. Add some piano to colour it in even more, and at 1:30 there’s this nice little moment that says, All right, let’s rock. It also is a cue for the vocals to come in, though only in a whoo-hoo capacity. In the mean time the drum is still laying down the pace, the synth still gives the illusion of a faster tempo, and the little piano in there makes sure it isn’t all about the gung-ho. A bass synth then enters, giving the drums some help in the rhythm department, and then Lindstrom brings in the colour again with some piano and guitar. And this is how he does it people, getting the hypnosis upon you with this fabulous build-up full with sounds and fury, all signifying oh so much when on the dancefloor, though it is hard to pinpoint what exactly. Rest assured, he doesn’t keep that up for the entire eight minutes, bringing it back slightly just before the 4:30 mark, bringing all the rhythm sounds to a halt in favor of some vocal work on top of some keys. They ask you to give him something he has never seen, which Lindstrom apparently reads as bringing some new instruments in to offer up some new options for this fella. At the 5:40 mark he gets the beat back, this time in companionship of the vocals, and as they reach their climax he gets the bass sound in there as well to ride it all the way out. Lovely dance stuff again from one of those guys who, like the mailman, always delivers.

‘Cruel Mistress’ by Crazy P (Hot Toddy Retro mix)

Hot Toddy gets the retro on with a sturdy beat and some retro synth sounds on this lush Crazy P track from his album, which was released earlier this year. Hot Toddy gets some of that Italo Disco in with those synthesizers, on top of which those beautiful, lovelorn vocals come in, contrasting the relative aggressiveness of the synths and beat nicely. And they sing that Every time she talks, and every time she sings, she wants to hear you (she’s losing her head, ya know?). Those more dreamy vocals are such a lovely contrast to the old school synth sounds Hot Toddy throws in there, which he combines with some percussion, some deeper synth sounds, but the thing that leads this is the good use of the vocals. Not drowning them out, but placing them on the right spots, and he knows how to bring in a bit of piano on occasion to help them out (which he does with some other sounds as well). After the vocals Hot Toddy keeps that piano coming, bringing them more to the fore and into the spotlight until he starts to work towards the end, when he goes for the Italo synths and the backing vocals. Apparently this is part of a Remix album based on Crazy P’s Walk Dance Sing Talk album. And, on the grounds of this, it’ll might just be well worth the spin.

When Foals first unveiled their debut album Antidotes, it dawned on most of us that they were not a band who were particularly keen to do what was expected of them. Their earliest singles led many to expect a by-numbers Math Rock knockabout of a long player, but, much to the surprise of those who had them pegged as hipster fodder, Antidotes took a more considered approach than that. It combined fleeting bouts of bombast with moments that subtly worked their way under your skin, all of which made for a sharply enriching end result. It also showed that Foals possessed a stubborn determination to do things entirely on their own terms, and this is something that has continued through to second album Total Life Forever.

Lead-off track ‘Blue Blood’, builds from a fragile, reflective opening into something denser, growing so gradually that you barely notice the transition. This, really, is the album in microcosm. With each song that passes, and each repeat listen to the record, Total Life Forever reveals layer after layer until its majesty engulfs you entirely. It takes a lot longer to absorb than Antidotes, but once it has sunk in it becomes clear just how good a record this is.

It has been suggested that the process of making the album was a fraught one for Foals, and this is reflected in the tone of the music. Part of the reason that it initially proves tough to penetrate Total Life Forever is its largely gloomy nature. Much of the record sounds darker than anything the band have recorded before, but at the same time it is more rounded than any of their previous work, and, dare we say it, much more mature.

The entire thing hinges on the astonishing centerpiece, ‘Spanish Sahara’.  It is borne out of the darkest depths of the most miserable nights, and carries with it a sense of desolation that is particularly harrowing. Yannis Philippakis’ vocal delivery is that of a man completely exhausted, and adds to the almost suffocating mood of the song. It feels like there is a black cloud overhead, constantly threatening to erupt but which never quite breaks completely. It is this tension that makes the song so absorbing, no matter how disturbing a listen it is.

The despondency of ‘Spanish Sahara’ is followed by ‘This Orient’, which perks things up, but only in the slightest of fashions. In spite of its big single vibes and the gentle swell with which it builds, under the surface it still contains the same anxiety that permeates most of the album. A similar sense of timorousness can also be seen in ‘Black Gold’, whose chilly, isolated guitar builds into a vast, creepy final two minutes which are totally at odds with Yannis’ contention that “Spring is finally here”. Really, the only shaft of light to illuminate any part of the album appears early on in the form of ‘Miami’, which possesses a groove reminiscent of Friendly Fires and is probably the most overt pop song in Foals’ armory.

The songs on Total Life Forever are powerful in both concept and realisation, and a massive part in what makes the album so impressive is the way the music has been captured. Phillippakis’ voice is consistently affecting, as he sounds far more jaded than the young pup whose yelps punctuated Antidotes. The band’s musicianship is stunning too, with the jittery rhythm section combining with the characteristically chiming guitar to produce a sound that is, at different stages, graceful, sinister and beautifully nourishing.

So clearly Total Life Forever is a record that demands time and attention, and in return it offers more than its predecessor. Even this early in their career, there are suggestions that Foals are masters of reinvention, something which puts them completely in control of their own destiny. When Yannis sings “Singularity is here to stay” on the album’s title track, it is as honest a lyric as he will probably ever deliver, because for Foals it is quite obviously their way or no way.