Collected Re-works Volume II – The Foals review by Chris High
The Foals continue their mission of revisiting their previous works with this release. In June, Collected Reworks Volume I hit the street. Now it Volume II and, later in the summer, Volume III will be with us.
Hits are what they are: an engrained entity beloved by fans inasmuch as they instil such nostalgia, they become ‘our songs’ in a trice and get danced to at weddings. It is a risky business indeed to mess with that which isn’t broken.
Fear not however, Foals-ites. Volume II is a merely a fresh coat of glistening paint to those songs you will recognise instantly, without ever threatening to tarnish the originals.
Take Inhaler, for example. Tom Vek has taken the melody and reinvigorated it by providing an extraordinary edge that lifts its innate power and supercharges it with an infusion of electronically-nourished backbeat that is simply breathtaking.
Mountain at my Gates, too, is a whole different creature thanks to the magic brought to the desk by Jonjo and Jagwar Ma. Here there is a mix of Eastern promise amongst the power of the original lyric and an almost terse understatement, which breathes new life into the song without diminishing its original grace and energy.
In short, Collected Reworks Volume II isn’t so much a reworking at all, but more a fresh sound unearthed as a whole new concept by a band who refuse to rest on their laurels.
On 9th October, a Collected Reworks vinyl box set will be released, featuring three 140 gram records pressed on yellow, green and pink vinyl that will be collated in a slipcase package. Pre-order now.
COLLECTED REWORKS VOL. II
1. Inhaler – Tom Vek
2. What Went Down – Haxan Cloak
3. Exits – Vessel
4. Hummer – Surkin
5. Mountain At My Gates – Jono Ma/Jagwar Ma
6. What Went Down – Bandwidth
7. Miami – Lissvik
8. Wash Off – KUU
9. This Orient – Starkey
10. Night Swimmers – Mura Masa
11. Bad Habit – Alex Metric
12. Miami – Tim Fuchs
13. Spanish Sahara – Chad Valley
