Total Life Forever - Foals
  • Band Name: Foals
  • Record Label: Sub Pop
  • Release Date: Jun 15, 2010
Total Life Forever Image
Metascore
78 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 60 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Summary: The follow-up to the British rock band's 2008 debut Antidotes was produced by Luke Smith.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. The A.V. Club
    Dec 21, 2010
    91
    TLF is a bid to be less in your face than in your head, and while its effect is less immediate, it's a comedown that's way more fun than the party.
  2. No Ripcord
    80
    Beautifully ethereal yet firmly rooted in careful dynamics, these distinct, late highlights should serve as a wake-up call suggesting that by blindly embracing pop structures, Foals are weighing appeal against integrity. The difference? Integrity lasts much longer.
  3. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    It takes half a dozen listens before the quality of it really sinks in, and is so all over the place that only the most devoted won't find it initially maddening. But throughout is a braveness and naive sense of wonder.
  4. Under The Radar
    60
    Fortunately, when grooves meander and sometimes gets a bit ponderous, the band's creative instincts usually kick in to right the ship. [Summer 2010, p.83]
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User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. darthpat
    10
    I love this record, a lot. I love the aquatic sound, how every guitar strum sounds like an echo underwater. I love the melodies and the lyrics and the whole kit and caboodle.… Expand
  2. Amos982
    10
    Am absolute masterpiece of a record, the first half is gorgeous, swelling songs that culminate in the genius that is spanish sahara. songs like This Orient and Fugue, slow it down at times but in general this is a truly fantastic album.… Expand
  3. SilverMan
    8
    A huge change for the band, not bad at all. First half of the album it's really great, but the second half, the album slows down and gets more sentimentalist. Just "After Glow"(maybe the best song) gives power to this part. Overall, it shouldn't be taken as a big mistake of the band...… Expand
  4. Armington
    5
    I'm not a fan of the turn Foals have taken, although clearly it's gone down very well with the majority. They've lost their edge and, for me, have shed nearly everything that made them interesting. Antidotes was my album of the year two years ago. This doesn't get near my top 20 for 2010. As soon as I heard the pained, whiny vocals on Spanish Sahara, and the excruciatingly slow build up that accompanies it, I knew that was it. Some decent moments. I like 'This Orient', yet even that song outstays it's welcome by repeating the chorus one too many times. Ultimately just not very interesting.… Expand

See all 8 User Reviews

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