FIVE

ALBUMS

5. Foals - Antidotes

Has an album this year divided as much opinion? The majority of Bands To Look Out For in 2008 fans featured this band, an Oxford math rock quintet who released their debut album in March. Veering away from their fastpaced abrupt demos, they omitted their biggest song Hummer from the album in the place of slower, dreamier songs filled with cryptic lyrics and complex guitarwork. The French Open opens proceedings with its tale of tennis followed by Cassius, arguably the most radio-friendly song on the album but of course brilliant. Fans were most likely disappointed because of the complete change in pace in the album (and admittedly this album did have to grow on me -the first listen was disappointing), as it's not until the last chorus of Two Steps Twice - the eighth track on the album - that the tempo really begins to speed up again. But that's not to say the rest of the album's filler ... it's a calm riot of an LP which firmly cements Foals as one of the best bands of 2008.

[PHOTO NOT INCLUDED COS I CAN'T BE ARSED]

SONGS

10. Los Campesinos! - All Your Kayfabe Friends

Album-closer on WAB,WAD, this song is a nice slice of twee brilliance most reminiscent of their first album. The last lines are really good.

YEAH, I'M TOTALLY TIRED AND DIDN'T I LIKE WRITE ABOUT THIS SONG LIKE A FEW DAYS AGO? SHEESH.

9. Foals - The French Open

I totally didn't realise I'd be writing about this at the same time as I'd be writing about their album ... so firstly I'd just like to proclaim that a song which incorporates tennis into its lyrics is automatically brilliant.  The opening beat is funky as fuck, before Yannis and co. storm in "UN, PEU, D'AIR SUR LA TERRE! D'AIR SUR LA, D'AIR SUR LA, D'AIR SUR LA TERRE!" This song was just magical at Reading with like a hundred million people shouting it out (although with many different interpretations ... my friend Sorcha's was pretty much "eh eh, eh eh eh ehhhh"). By far the best on the album.