I remember the excitement as a teenager when a new record (yes in vinyl) came out that I was anticipating. I’d play the record for days on end getting to grips with every song it contained. I’d read the sleeve notes, memorise the lyrics and that LP would be added to my small collection with such pleasure.

These days there’s a tidal wave of music that is released but I still keep my eye on a few of my favourites while not having the time to decipher every track with the thoroughness of old.

Thankfully there are bands that still do it for me and make me feel like a teenager again.  Foals an English band fronted by Yannis Philippakis is one of them. Their first single What Went Down released a couple of months back from their fourth album was a total killer. And now they’ve finally released the long player.  They’ve drip fed quite a few singles already which to be honest takes away a bit of the impact when you first listen to it, but that seems to be the name of the game these days.   They’ve been an interesting band to watch – every album has veered in a slightly different direction with their trademark indie rock and synth sound. And when I say ‘watch’ I mean from a distance as the South of France is as dry as the desert for gigs.

Key tracks : What Went Down : A killer ballsy thumping track : Albatross : A signature Foals crescendo builder : London Thunder : Captivating crowd pleasing slow burner

Actually I like all of the tracks which is crazy. How often does that happen?

Here’s London Thunder :