Spring Break
Klaxons attempt to broaden pop genre
By: Aatish Nath
Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Originally published: 4/20/07 at 4:47 AM EST
Last update: 4/20/07 at 4:46 AM EST
Originally published: 4/20/07 at 4:47 AM EST
Last update: 4/20/07 at 4:46 AM EST
- Page 1 of 1
Klaxons, the latest British musical export, have a sound unlike most musicians you've heard. If you try to pinpoint it, you would find they blur the boundaries of pop, and incorporate elements of dance, electronica and psychedelic rave into their music.
The band got their start jamming together in Madrid, Spain, where they all held jobs. Later, they decided to pack up and move back to their native London to try their hand at cutting a record. The result is Myths of the Near Future, their new album named after a collection of short stories by the author J.G. Ballard.
Klaxons have come up with an album that is experimental, with every song taking you on a different trip. From the catchy first single "Golden Skans" to the darker "Isle of Her", all 11 songs are guaranteed to leave you wanting more.
The first song "Two Receivers" is the perfect album opener. The whole song builds up to an explosive transition into the next track, the punk and electronic inspired "Atlantis to Interzone." The song has urgency that melds into the next song, Klaxons' first single, "Golden Skans." Other stand-out tracks include "Forgotten Works" and "Totem on a Timeline."
One of the reasons the unique sound works for the band is their ability to juxtapose their electric sounds with pop, the fast paced songs with the mellow, and the loud with the subtle. Indeed the perfect example of these characteristics is the song "Magick," with a thunderous chorus, but an otherwise soft verse.
Don't listen to this record thinking of it as a nu-rave sound, even if that is how it is being marketed. Myths of the Near Future is a very catchy album that will make you want to dance; with songs that will reel you in from the first listen. Even through the experimental sounds, one can still clearly hear the guitar driven, dare I say it, pop that is at the core of this album.
That was in fact exactly what the band was hoping to do, when they started out making the album. Having become tired with the pop music being played on radio, the band hoped to widen the genre, by giving their music a new sound. I can safely say they've succeeded.
Klaxons is James Righton on vocals, Simon Taylor-Davis on guitar, Jamie Reynolds on keyboards and Steffan Halperin on drums.
The band got their start jamming together in Madrid, Spain, where they all held jobs. Later, they decided to pack up and move back to their native London to try their hand at cutting a record. The result is Myths of the Near Future, their new album named after a collection of short stories by the author J.G. Ballard.
Klaxons have come up with an album that is experimental, with every song taking you on a different trip. From the catchy first single "Golden Skans" to the darker "Isle of Her", all 11 songs are guaranteed to leave you wanting more.
The first song "Two Receivers" is the perfect album opener. The whole song builds up to an explosive transition into the next track, the punk and electronic inspired "Atlantis to Interzone." The song has urgency that melds into the next song, Klaxons' first single, "Golden Skans." Other stand-out tracks include "Forgotten Works" and "Totem on a Timeline."
One of the reasons the unique sound works for the band is their ability to juxtapose their electric sounds with pop, the fast paced songs with the mellow, and the loud with the subtle. Indeed the perfect example of these characteristics is the song "Magick," with a thunderous chorus, but an otherwise soft verse.
Don't listen to this record thinking of it as a nu-rave sound, even if that is how it is being marketed. Myths of the Near Future is a very catchy album that will make you want to dance; with songs that will reel you in from the first listen. Even through the experimental sounds, one can still clearly hear the guitar driven, dare I say it, pop that is at the core of this album.
That was in fact exactly what the band was hoping to do, when they started out making the album. Having become tired with the pop music being played on radio, the band hoped to widen the genre, by giving their music a new sound. I can safely say they've succeeded.
Klaxons is James Righton on vocals, Simon Taylor-Davis on guitar, Jamie Reynolds on keyboards and Steffan Halperin on drums.
