A Knife In The Ocean by Foals

Album: What Went Down (2015)

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Songfacts®:

The closing track of What Went Down, this was a last-minute addition to the album. The song came out of a jam when producer James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons, Mumford & Sons) had popped out of the studio. Guitarist Jimmy Smith told NME: "James had gone out to get a sandwich or something and then he came back and we'd written it. He was like: 'What's that?'. And then: 'That's definitely going on.'"

"There's elements of jazz. It swings. It's got a Purdie Shuffle [drum solo made famous by session drummer Bernard Purdie] as the drumbeat."

Vocalist Yannis Philippakis added: "The vocal line isn't a normal vocal line for me. I've never done anything like that before. Musically, I think it's the perfect closer to the record. It captures the essence of what the band is trying to do."
Foals unveiled the song during a special live session at London's Maida Vale studios for BBC Radio 1 on July 21, 2015.

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