Foals

I don't post about mixtapes very often, well, never actually. But Foals are most definitely my favourite band ever and they have a mixtape coming out on Berlin's !K7 Records this July called Tapes. It was put together by Edwin;the band's keyboardist/DJ/techy expert and the the format is actually CD. But the concept of the mixtape is truly there, encompassing the tastes of Foals as a collective, the 10 minute preview playing below is truly amazing, although I expected nothing less from one of the most innovative bands of the past 6 years.

Click here for further deets & pre-order links

Natureboy

The below track "Blow To The Head" is a preview from Natureboy's sophomore album The Sweep which is set to be released fairly soon. There's a Victoria Legrand kind of thing going on with Sara Kermanshahi's voice that has left me quite smitten. If you've not heard of Natureboy before, I'd highly recommend giving last year's self-titled debut album a listen. Stream the new track here:

Tennis

It's good to know that Tennis are returning with another LP, it's called Young & Old and is set to be released this coming Valentines day via Fat Possum. 2010's Cape Dory was a huge success, filling our lives with a sun-kissed happiness which couldn't really be matched by any other bands at the time; despite guitars and beaches being the main theme for many in 2010. There's a couple of preview tracks circulating at the moment, they sound wonderful - there seems to be a lot more experimentation, variation and confidence - a nice progression to the bands sound which I hope emulates throughout the rest of the album. So that's my Vday plans now sorted - better than sitting in your friends room, watching The Notebook and crying your eyes out again - not that that happened last year or anything. You can stream my favourite track here: