It's taken me 2 or 3 attempts to try and make it through Total Life Forever. Often times I found myself wondering if I was listening to the same band who made previous effort Antidotes in 2008. There is no more post-punk riffage, a lot of the energy which got them noticed has disappeared and the songs are nowhere near as upbeat. Each track on Total Life Forever rolls in at a steady pace, a pace which is kept consistent all throughout the album. The music here is much more laid back and in some cases almost tranquil. On Antidotes, Foals were not happy with the production from one Mr. Dave Sitek (of TV On The Radio/Maximum Balloon) and ended up remixing the album later to their liking. Sitek may have proven to be quite the influence on Foals during that period as Total Life Forever makes Foals sound like a new band. Lead singer Yannis Philippakis no longer lets out his signature yelps and opts for a lot more singing on this album. For fans of bands like the Cure, you may happen to enjoy this record quite a bit but those seeking more youthful hits similar to those found on Antidotes can forget about it. Many reviewers have praised the Oxford band for their new, more mature direction (which is normally great for a band trying to breakout) but the fun in the songs seems to have faded and the band seems to want to be taken just a bit too seriously.
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