Some things just aren't meant to last. You know it, but you see it out and enjoy it while you can. (I could stand to think this way more w/r/t women.) As I began to come of age as a music fan, I started to realize that certain albums I liked probably wouldn't be in rotation further down the road, and that they didn't really matter to a lot of other people. When I was 15 I was hooked on Juturna by Circa Survive. I actually still like it a fair bit, and to my surprise have some good friends who liked it back in the day. But it's kind of a rare, closeted mutual love, like we were all in marching band together or something.
The latest album in that vein for yrs truly would be Foals' Total Life Forever. Foals are decidedly what Will Sheff would call a "mid-level band": they've got the chops to be signed to Sub Pop, but they've never managed to garner the snob-level acclaim that some of their other labelmates have. And to be a bit blunt, rightly so. I love Foals, but I know in my heart that they're "just" a mathy, atmospheric dance rock act. Most people don't appreciate (see: care about) the subtleties that make their bloopy guitars different from say Bloc Party or Maps and Atlases, and you need most people on your side to be relevant.
That being said, I like this album a lot. Like I think I like it more than I should. But fuck doing what you should. Despite its Nevermind-cum-movie-poster album art and weird title, Total Life Forever is a step forward for Foals. Their earlier Antidotes only stood out slightly from the rest of the dance-rock pack, but TLF feels more unique and mature. It's funkier, more emotive, has better lyrics; it's better in every way. Even if I'm bound to look back on it as "just another indie rock album" from my youth, it's good enough to make Foals my 13th most listened artist for the last 12 months (thx last.fm), which is no small feat.
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