Foals came to my knowledge in 2008, year of the iPod, when for the first time music was available at my fingertips and songs available for a dollar. The version of Balloons cannot be found anywhere else (the official one is all I’ve been able to find since), but fret not - attached below is a far superior version than the official. Quirkier and more abrasive, and much cooler, by my exacting standards of cool.
Since their first album, Antidotes, Foals has taken on a more mainstream sound, with predictable results in growing popularity and a few choice appearances on TV soundtracks. Foals and their fans have been reticent about Antidotes; but ignoring or moving on from a first is commonplace for most bands, particularly when subsequent works prove more popular than debuts. For fans of Foals who haven’t heard, let alone knew that Foals created something called Antidotes, going back in time to the primordial sound should prove fun, if no other reason than smirking as one would at a pic of a supermodel’s awkward 8th grade yearbook photo.
Foals’ debut album, Antidotes