Total Nintendo Forever
England’s Foals Warp to Denver
by Adam Perry for Westword
9/27/10
Though children of the late ‘80s began making their mark on popular music several years ago, one incessant and curious inspiration obvious in much of their music generally goes undiscussed: Nintendo theme songs. A few oddly brilliant Nintendo cover bands—notably the Advantage—began packing clubs everywhere a few years ago, but more interesting than the unabashed musical Zelda and Metroid devotees are bands like England math-pop sensation Foals. The Oxford fivesome’s 2008 Sup Pop debut Antidotes, produced by TV On the Radio’s Dave Sitek, juxtaposed Gang of Four, Paul Simon and, yes, the Nintendo music that saturated most of our souls a couple decades ago and never really left.
With electro-clash beats, passionate soccer-chant-style vocals and sprightly, interwoven guitar melodies influenced equally by Graceland and Megaman 2, frontman Yannis Philippakis and Co. are deep-lyric dance-party phenoms. May’s Total Life Forever, delineating the Theory of Singularity and recorded in Sweden, explores more My Morning Jacket-esque vocal and musical territory than the fun-filled Antidotes, but Foals’ live shows are still more Super Mario than Yim Yames.
Foals plays the Larimer Lounge in Denver Oct. 12
Adam Perry 