Foals - 'Spanish Sahara'
A little absence can be a powerful thing.
If you imagine the Top 40 to be a constant party where everyone's having a great time all the time, apart from the occasional sobbing diva on the stairs and angry shouting men fighting in the street outside, this song doesn't really fit in. Unless your idea of a good night out involves a moment where the four horsemen of the apocalypse burst through the wall in immaculate 3-D slow-motion, and bring everything to a crashing halt. Where there was hubbub, there is nothing but icy quiet. Not the mere absence of noise, the kind of bruised calm you get when the air is electrified, and something awful is just about to happen, the kind of quiet you get just before a lightning strike.
And then, in a quiet voice that seems to come from everywhere at once, Pestilence wetly informs all the club bunnies and disco dudes that their time on Earth, fleeting as it was, has now come to an abrupt halt.
It is less of a song, in this context, and more of a full stop.
(. It is beautiful.)
A long full stop, mind you, featuring more than four minutes of very slow build-up from nothing. Four minutes! A lifetime in popular music terms, and one which is largely spent with Yannis softly squeaking and howling into reverberating space, like the most heartbroken hamster you could possibly imagine, at the bottom of a very deep well. It's not unlike the atmosphere of that Wild Beasts song 'Hooting and Howling', only without the air of slinkiness, and with added ghosts.
Four minutes though! That's longer than almost every record in the Top 40, and it's just to get to the rowdy bit, which is the bit most of the other songs want to stick in your face as soon as the record begins, if not sooner.
And what HAPPENS when we get to the rowdy bit? All that wailing has tired poor little Yannis out, so he has a little sit-down and a cup of squash and a biscuit, leaving room for a delay solo. That's not a solo which is late, it's a noise which has been caught and looped in some kind of delay pedal, and left repeating. So, at the exact moment the band most want to grab your lapels and scream "look at me!" into your face, they're also not really there.
It is, therefore, the exact empirical opposite of that JLS song about the sound of music. 'The Club Is About To Die', anyone?
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(Fraser McAlpine)
"'Spanish Sahara' begins so softly, virtually all traces of the elements that kept 'Antidotes' consistent and connected have vanished."
"This is devoid of silliness. Foals' version of the Sahara is intriguing and decidedly wintry."
"It is the most exciting piece of music I have heard all year."
Comment number 1.
At 10th Sep 2010, harrythedog10 wrote:Agree with Fraser completly on the review here. I never really liked Foals before for no reason other than they seemed to be stupidly hyped up but after hearing this I decided to check out the album and some of their earlier stuff, it was well worth it. My problem is I can't really see the point in releasing it as a single, when you take into account that it already had a video before release the whole thing seems even stupider.
As a track I find it hard to fault in anyway but as a single it seems like a poor choice, due to fact that it contains no real hooks and it's incredibly long for regular radio play. Blue Blood or Total Life Forever would've been much better single choices.
5 STARS
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Comment number 2.
At 10th Sep 2010, OddOne wrote:Same story as Harry here, I never thought much of them until I checked them out, and it WAS worth it, this song easily 5 stars!
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Comment number 3.
At 10th Sep 2010, stocksy wrote:Well as you all know by now, this is my favourite song of the year. Possibly the most beautiful song by a british band of the noughties. It starts from nothing, just Yannis telling us how he sees us 'lying there, like a lilo losing air...' Then it builds up into the anthemic chant 'Im the gohst in the back of your HEEAAADDDDDDDD!'
This song ALWAYS manages to send a shiver down my spine.
100000000000000000000000000000000000000 Stars.
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Comment number 4.
At 10th Sep 2010, stocksy wrote:This song should have won a mercury singles prize.
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Comment number 5.
At 10th Sep 2010, harrythedog10 wrote:@ 2
The wierd thing is I didn't like them when all I'd heard was Cassius but I actually really liked that song, I have no idea why I didn't check them out sooner now I just looked like one of those wierdos that joins the bandwagon late.
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Comment number 6.
At 11th Sep 2010, spirit wrote:While previous single "Miami" reminded me heavily of The Cure in their pomp and understated melancholy , the slow burning magnificence of Spanish Sahara's verses evokes the brilliance of Talk Talk in their Spirit of Eden phase , with Yannis softly echoing the mourning tones of Mark Hollis .
As the song builds we have echoes of The Cure's Dis-Integration , and then during the climax of the song , the stirring guitar work and attention grabbing vocal refrain , embraces the spirit of Interpol with their magnificent debut , Turn On The Bright Lights .
Spanish Sahara is an interesting journey that leads to a very satisfying destination , and to evoke references to three significant bands ,really does stress , what a powerful song it is .
This track is certain to make fans of the song , really want to investigate this Mercury Nominated Band .
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Comment number 7.
At 12th Sep 2010, OddOne wrote:Anyone else read Fraser's last line of this review?:
"that JLS song about the sound of music. 'The Club Is About To Die' anyone?"
HA. I knew you didn't REALLY think it was a five star song! Esepcially not lined up to this level of brilliant brilliantness and brilliance.
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