Klaxons

Klaxons are the most popular band you've never heard. Not only are they responsible for allegedly birthing the new rave genre, they're also UK heroes touted in the British press as "the most thrilling and visionary band Britain's had in more than a decade" (NME). Mind you, at the time, their debut record wasn't even out yet; nevertheless, the accelerated culture curve dictated that this band was worth discussing, or perhaps even dancing to.

But here's the catch: new rave doesn't really exist. Last year, in an interview with the aforementioned NME, singer Jamie Reynolds jokingly announced the arrival of new rave, with his band at the forefront of the movement. But now, months later, after a flurry of media hype announcing the ecstatic revival and the inevitable backlash, Reynolds has expressed dissatisfaction over his association with the drug-laden early-'90s dance culture. Ironically, the joke Klaxons created has become an uncontrollable impetus for adoration, apathy, criticism, and, in some instances, furious disgust.

As a result, the debut Myths of the Near Future has the unfortunate responsibility of being exceptional enough to overshadow its accompanying, er, myth. Sadly, this is not the case. The spatial, crystalline "Two Receivers" begins this ostensibly post-punk record on a somewhat non-revelatory, unconvincing note. Rave or no rave, there's nothing inherently new about this band's sound—but that's not to say it's a disappointment. Myths is bouncy and fun, alternating between the jagged angles of Bloc Party, the distinctive hooks of Blur, and the pulsating beat of Kasabian. On the loudest single "Atlantis to the Interzone," which actually comes the closest to sounding like a rave, a siren loops in the background and the manic energy could inspire a frenzy. Klaxon's most accessible song "Golden Skans" is a soulful, falsetto-tinged pop song that proves the band does have the potential to write a hit.

So if—hypothetically speaking—new rave does exist, the fact of the matter is that this London group has little to do with it. Klaxons have simply made a calorie-free, dirty pop record with an anarchic punk attitude. In other words, leave your glow-sticks at home.

- Arye Dworken

Breathlessly anointed by the British press as pioneers of the "new rave" movement, Klaxons aren't quite as radical on Myths of the Near Future as they've been made out to be -- but they're not as grating as the hype around them would suggest, either. Their sound is closer to dance-punk than revamped Madchester giddiness, more like Bloc Party before they got very, very serious than the Happy Mondays or Stone Roses. "Atlantis to Interzone" is the band's most overtly dancey song. Opening with shouts of "DJ!" sirens and guitars that sound sampled, but aren't, then segueing to beats and rhythms that soar and plunge like a roller coaster, the song is the closest approximation of what a "new rave" would actually sound like. Fortunately, though, Klaxons don't limit themselves to a strict diet of shouty vocals, angular guitars, and loping basslines (though these are all present and accounted for on less interesting tracks like "Magick" and "Four Horsemen of 2012"). Myths of the Near Future's layered, deep-focus production prevents the band's sound from getting too boxed-in, elevating "Forgotten Works" and "Isle of Her" with choral vocals and a chilly atmosphere reminiscent of Gary Numan, "Ashes to Ashes" Bowie, and the colder side of Wire. Paradoxically, Klaxons' more classic leanings are what make Myths of the Near Future's best songs sound fresh. "As Above, So Below," "Gravity's Rainbow," "Golden Skans," and "It's Not Over Yet" range from brisk, witty pop to radiant ballads, but they all boast hooks and melodies that many of Klaxons' more straightforward indie contemporaries would be proud to call their own. It's a little uneven and definitely not the reinvention of music as we know it, but Myths of the Near Future is a strong enough debut to survive a level of hype that has crushed other bands, and enjoyable enough to return to when the hype dies down. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide