Klaxons
23rd August 2010 | Polydor
***
Klaxons trash glow sticks for guitars as they blare out a long-awaited return...
I only recently discovered the inner genuis of indie rave band Klaxons. I had heard the name before but had never managed to find time to listen to them until now, and I realised it was a noble decision. Klaxons are a London-based band and they released their groundbreaking debut album 'Myths Of The Near Future' in 2007. This offering was met with decent critical acclaim and gained them five awards, most notably the prestigious Mercury Music Prize and NME Best Album. Perhaps the most distinguished song on the album is the melodic 'Golden Skans', demonstrating their proficiency in song structure. Klaxons also include a catchy and vivacious cover version of 'It's Not Over Yet', which deserves a mention too.
It is difficult to classify the genre of Klaxons. They have been categorised as indie rock, dance-punk, alternative dance, alternative rock and electronic rock in the past. NME once bizarrely described their music as 'acid-rave sci-fi punk-funk', while their MySpace refers them as psychedelic/progressive/pop. But most prominently, they are one of the isolated acts being categorised as 'new rave', a term invented by their first record company. Despite their sound possessing a distinct rock grounding, they have been influenced by the rave culture which emerged in the 1990's. However, they are far from an electronic dance band such as the Prodigy. They are consistently hailed as the pioneers and the defining act of the 'new rave movement'. It is an intriguing discussion but personally, I have settled with the 'indie rave' genre.
It has taken the quartet three years to finally deliver their highly anticipated sophomore album, and there are a few reasons behind this delay. As Klaxons entered the studio to commence work on the follow-up to 'Myths Of The Near Future', they initally decided on cooperating with Tony Visconti (Bowie) and Focus (Dr Dre), but these sessions were unproductive and were subsequently abandoned. They moved on to work with James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco but this too was discarded because their record label 'Polydor' considered the results as 'too experimental'. The final resort was appointing Ross Robinson as producer, which from the surface seems a peculiar choice as he is known as the godfather of nu-metal and is associated with bands such as Slipknot and Korn. During these three years of trial and error with making the second album, Klaxons hinted they had considered stepping away from music altogether with the quote 'we thought we'd never be able to make an album again'. Keyboard player/vocalist told NME 'for a while we were nowhere near the headspace to make a record. The more we discussed what we wanted to become, the more tangled we got. It felt so forced. The opposite of what we were about'. He later added 'If I'm honest there was a brief point where I thought, 'Was it all just a moment in time that we can't recreate? Will we ever be able to do it again?''. They were definitely suffering the 'difficult second album syndrome' after such a promising debut. It was troubled and challenging times for the Klaxons but they have finally emerged in mid 2010 with a complete ten track LP.
Album opener and first single 'Echoes' is an expansive guitar and piano attack which certainly sets the pace for the album. It has a catchy melody and a similiar structure their cover of 'It's Not Over Yet'. It is also a clear-cut and self-assured indication that Klaxons have shifted towards a more guitar-driven sound. It was the obvious choice for a first single (which was released a week before the album), providing a general impression of the imminent album. I think it could be one of the best songs released this year. The lyrics in 'The Same Space' revolve around Jamie Reynold's break-up with his girlfriend and seem to describe a sexual encounter: 'When we're together we come alive...collective arrival/We share the same space/We feel the same impact on arrival and embrace'. New drummer Steffan Halperin leads the way with a marching army style drumbeat while a high pitched guitar and a stomping bassline add texture. Next up is the title track which is a true rave riot and is written in the same vein as 'Atlantis To Interzone'. The song is characterised with high pitched vocals and is bursting with energy. 'Valley Of The Calm Trees' sounds like a science fiction fantasy which has diamond dust clouds, multiple suns and crumbling mountains as lyrical subject matter. They are verging on Muse space rock as far as lyrics are concerned. It is another densely produced song with prominent keyboard, providing it with a trippy dimension. This was the only track which survived from the original studio sessions, and it has a perceptible distinction in sound from the rest of the album. 'Venusia' begins in an eerie fashion, but once the vocals and marshall drums kick in, the song has an attractive flow to it. An effective touch is the blasts of the synthesiser. The pace picks up again in 'Extra Astromical', a heavy hitting anthem with a menacing dual note riff. Perhaps the heaviest track on the album, along with 'Surfing The Void' and 'Flashover', proof of Robinson's contribution shining through the 'diamond dust clouds'. It is remisicent of 'Four Horsemen Of 2012' from their debut album. 'Twin Flames' by contrast, is a slow-burning track and Klaxons once again introduce deluded, high pitched sounds in the background. 'Flashover', a song which was unveiled online a few months ago to provide listeners with a solid sample of what was forthcoming, had mixed responses. It begins with another sinister two note riff before shifting into a heavy section, drawing strong comparisons with 'Extra Astromical'. 'Future Memories' is a relative downbeat and subdued song for this album and possibly the most beautiful and well-crafted. From this point you think the album will end in a subtle manner, but you are caught off guard with the album closer 'Cypherspeed'. Pummeling drums and a bizarre organ characterise a dark disco song sounding like a rave track from outer space. Then the album draws to close, and in under forty minutes, Klaxons have essentially taken us to another galaxy.
Moving away from the new rave genre they once pioneered to a more guitar-driven indie/alternative sound is an unpredicted decision by Klaxons. I perceive their current genre to be a fusion between rave and indie/alternative, meaning Klaxons will appeal to a wider audience and truly stand out from the bland group of indie bands in the mainstream at the moment. Despite this, I still favour 'Myths Of The Near Future' to this second effort because I feel it has a distinct lack of highlight songs. In my opinion, 'Myths Of The Near Future' had around eight distinguished tracks, whereas on this album, 'Echoes', 'Flashover' and 'Cypherspeed' are the only songs which rival material from the previous LP. However, I feel the crossover Klaxons have made between rave and indie/alternative for this record was an effective decision, much like Pendulum's idea of creating a crossover between electronic/drum n bass and rock/metal. Whether music fans will agree with me is unknown at this stage, but perhaps a reasonable way of analysing the response to this album is by watching the sales figures or the crowd response at their headlining slot on the BBC Radio 1/NME Stage at the renowned Reading And Leeds Festivals this year. Putting in perspective the long list of well-documented problems Klaxons were forced to overcome in the build up, they have delivered a densely layered, unconventional and well-balanced album. The question is: will Klaxons surf or plunge into a void of difficulty when creating their third album?
Track Listing
1. Echoes
2. The Same Space
3. Surfing The Void
4. Valley Of The Calm Trees
5. Venusia
6. Extra Astronomical
7. Twin Flames
8. Flashover
9. Future Memories
10. Cypherspeed
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