Foals album perfect for summer
The Indie-pop art rockers of Foals gave us more than enough to process with their last offering. Now they seem to want us to dance.
The upbeat, very funky and always brilliantly layered 11-track “Life Is Yours” captures a band between clouds, the perfect slice of summer fun. Look no further than “2001,” an infectious track of disco-smeared funk, and “2AM,” a propulsive ode to not going home alone.
In 2019, the British band gave us its “Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost” double album. It was complex, socially conscious stuff, with exits buried underground, dead foxes, burning hedges and rain. Now the sun is out. “I’ve packed my bags/ I’ve found new ground,” frontman Yannis Philippakis sings.
Escapism may be the word as Foals looks back on parties and recreational drug-fueled gatherings, a clear reaction to lockdowns and isolation. “I’ve been waiting all day inside/ Waiting for a summer sky/ When we run wild,” Philippakis sings.
Having shed two members, Foals — now a three-piece with multiinstrumentalist Philippakis, drummer Jack Bevan, and guitarist and keyboardist Jimmy Smith — doesn’t sound like it has lost 40% of its sound. The band tapped several producers, and a varied, addictive take on the upbeat has been achieved.
The second half is positively dance hall psychedelic with “Wild Green,” a synth-led ode to spring, and “The Sound,” which almost veers into dubstep. “Under the Radar” has Philippakis’ voice heavily synthesized in an ’80s New Wave song skeleton and ends with his falsetto soaring.
The shimmering “Crest of the Waves” sounds like it was birthed in a
ray of sunshine. — Mark Kennedy, Associated Press
Like all good cooks from their country, the folks at Italian record label Frontiers know that the secret to great cooking lies in experimenting. The label specializes in one-off project albums mixing and matching heavy metal artists from disparate backgrounds.
Sometimes, like a bad risotto, the whole thing needs to be tossed in the trash. Other times, they hit on a tasty combination, and they’ve put together a good one in Iconic. Iconic features Stryper singer and guitarist Michael Sweet; guitarist Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, Trans-siberian Orchestra); metal drummer Tommy Aldridge (Whitesnake and Ozzy Osbourne, among others) and bassist Marco Mendoza (Black Star Riders, Ted Nugent, Dead Daisies).
The one drawback to this project is its failure to make more use of Sweet’s one-of-a-kind voice, which is instantly recognizable and still as strong and soaring as it was in the early ’80s.
The band was assembled to showcase up-andcomer Nathan James, a husky, blues-influenced vocalist who sounds more than a bit like Jeff Scott Soto, guitar legend Yngwie Malmsteen’s singer in the early ’80s. And while songs like “Fast As You Can,” in which he trades
lead vocals with Sweet, and “Nowhere To Run” are solid old-school metal tracks, I could do with more Sweet vocals, at least a 50-50 split. — Wayne Parry, Associated Press
Mary Gauthier’s weekly Sunday
livestreams at the pandemic’s peak were a lot like church, with confessions, contemplations and a welcome spirit of communion.
The gatherings offered a balm for believers in the power of song, and Gauthier’s new album does the same, showcasing tunes that came to life during lockdown and were regularly featured on those shows. As the title might suggest, love prevails over death on “Dark Enough to See the Stars,” though not without a struggle.
Gauthier’s scarred alto is the ideal instrument for her candid, thoughtful musings on loss, healing and the need for hope. Among those contributing to the soulful, smart arrangements are keyboardist Danny Mitchell, fiddler Michele Gazich and singer-guitarist Jaimee Harris, Gauthier’s partner.
Highlights include “Thank God for You,” a gospel-tinged celebration of love’s restorative qualities, and “How Could You Be Gone,” a wrenching slice of life and death. But from start to finish, Gauthier masterfully makes the personal universal.