Album of the Day

Oxford indie rock favorites Foals described TOTAL LIFE FOREVER as “like the dream of an eagle dying,” which captures both the collection's broad sonic vistas and occasionally heavy themes. Recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden, the group's second studio set trades in some of the post-punk edges of their debut for atmospheric, emotionally resonant songs like “Blue Blood,” “Spanish Sahara” and the title track. Frontman Yannis Philippakis' interest in future studies crops up in a few places here, but even when you don't feel like parsing the lyrics, there's an ocean of beautiful guitar playing to float on. A Top Ten U.K. hit and shortlisted for the country's prestigious Mercury Prize, TOTAL LIFE FOREVER was released 10 years ago this weekend and remains as ambitious and alluring as its name suggests.