Oxford's self-styled post-rock non-conformists Foals have excited a lot of folks with their debut album, but I can't help wondering why. With deconstructed guitar loops, well-thought out sporadic bursts of brass and a tidy line in feisty beats, there's plenty of cause for hope.

The problem comes with the unharnessed vocals that employ a range stretching all the way from disinterest to taunting. Lyrically abstract, the words frequently obstruct the songs which have a frustrating habit of petering out or never quite making it to the chorus.

Still, when they hit a warm spot (as on Cassius and the euphoric opening of Heavy Water) there are some very good things afoot. There, and I didn't mention Radiohead once. Oh, dammit...