Foals lead singer Yannis Philippakis has claimed that listening and learning about the Wu-Tang Clan influenced the making of their new album Total Life Forever.

Speaking to The Quietus about the recording sessions for the new album and how the band's attitude had changed, he said: "We started to read more about the Wu-Tang Clan , and the mythology and the kind of the way that Wu Tang disciplined themselves was very influential. Not in term of songs, but in the way that the band operates."

Talking about some of the more hip-hop influences which pervade Total Life Forever, he also opined that many British guitar bands were reluctant to look outside more conventional influences, adding: "There's definitely a reluctance [from British guitar bands] to look towards what might be perceived as commercial pop or music of black origin. There are very few areas of music that haven't been mined and appropriated by indie-rock or alternative rock bands, and that's one of the last places almost. So, I think it's probably just a matter of time.

"There's a very cloistered attitude that purveys in a lot of British guitar music. I think it's starting to change, hopefully. The boundaries are becoming more permeable."

Check back on The Quietus soon to read an interview with Foals.