Myths Of The Near Future

The Klaxons

Geffen, 2007

http://www.klaxons.net

REVIEW BY: Melanie Love

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 04/10/2007

Porn groove. Symphonic metal. Brechtian punk cabaret. And now, add Klaxons’ self-professed new-rave to the list of oddly intriguing music genres, though glow-sticks and glitter are conspicuously absent from this type of rave. Instead, the rising Brit superstars (made up of Jamie Reynolds on vocals and bass, guitarist Simon Taylor-Davis, vocalist and keyboardist James Righton and Steffan Halperin handling drums and backing vocals) have defied all labels to ambitiously combine the best of Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand, then set the resulting mixture to warp speed. But whatever the ingredients, the final result is refreshingly intelligent and infectiously catchy without the embarrassment of proclaiming yourself to be, say, a Justin Timberlake fan (sigh, I’m so misunderstood).my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

Myths Of The Near Future launches straight into darkly brooding “Two Receivers” which effortlessly combines soaring production, eerily ominous choruses and yearning piano chords to envelop you into Klaxons’ fantastical world of centaurs, space-travelers and sequined swans.

Owing to its self-styled schizophrenia, the album then switches gears entirely, suddenly erupting into blaring sirens to announce second single “Atlantis To Interzone.” Irresistibly hooky with an unforgettable chorus and pounding hyperactivity, this track defies any notion of pop music’s disposability.

And things just get better from there: radio-friendly “Golden Skans” silkily grooves to godly lyrics (“Night touch my hand with the turning golden skans / From the night and the light, all plans are golden in your hand”) while “Totem On The Timeline” is inexorably driven by electronic beats and swaying club choruses (and inexplicably manages to name-check Julius Caesar, Princess Diana and Mother Teresa within the first few seconds).

Every turn of Myths seems to reveal a new genre-bending; be it cyclops and unicorns coexisting amid oblique references to William S. Burroughs or a crunching guitar riff below layers of dance-pop, the enigmatic Klaxons defy all convention, gimmicks or pretension. Whether it’s a result of sheer bravado or just insanity, the album climaxes with two polar opposite tracks, the almost terrifying Gregorian chants of “Isle Of Her” and “Gravity’s Rainbow,” a giddily breathless two-minute punch of twisted-pop

Myths Of The Near Future may clock in at just thirty-five minutes, but every second is spilling over with their now-signature frantic, hyperactive energy and textured pop soundscapes, an endearing combination that manages to remain deliciously burned into your brain long after the album itself has cooled off.

Rating: A-

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© 2007 Melanie Love and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Geffen, and is used for informational purposes only.