•
Rating:
The Klaxons were the ultimate British new sensation of the just-concluded 2007.
Hailed as the founders of a theoretical (very theoretical, to be honest) new movement, the so-called "new rave," the English band released about a year ago the acclaimed debut "Myths Of The Near Future" on Polydor.
Here, we only saw the highly popular "Golden Skans" (the most blatantly pop piece in the group's entire production) and "It's Not Over Yet", a cover of an old song co-written by Oakenfold, but the band has received various accolades in their homeland, including the Mercury Prize for best album.
Listening to this much-discussed debut, one thing is clear: the revolution that NME and the likes have blared about has not taken place. This hypothetical "new rave" seems more like a typically English indie rock regurgitated and resubmitted in an appealing and original manner. Rather than reclaiming the 90s rave culture, the Klaxons seem to follow the trend of reworking the overly exploited 80s. The crucial point is this: regardless of genres and influences, "Myths..." is a damn good album.
The band, led by Jamie Reynolds and James Righton, definitely shines when they keep the pedal to the metal: in things like "Totem On The Timeline" or "Atlantis To Interzone", the mix of indie rock and electronic bases works brilliantly. However, when the four slow down the pace, the feeling of filler is right around the corner (as in the latest single "As Above, So Below"). The opener "Two Receivers" with its falsettos is all too reassuring, while "Isle Of Her" thankfully dares more. "Magick" confirms the highly positive impression aroused by its previous single release: fresh, carefree, fun, just like "Gravity's Rainbow". The masterpiece of the album remains, however, the final track "Four Horsemen Of 2012"; aggressive, synthetic, and unmelodious; two minutes and seventeen seconds of semi-sonic anarchy.
Great job, this from the Klaxons: it may not be exactly what was expected, but, as mentioned, the quality of the tracks puts (at least partially) into the background the previously created expectations. The new album, expected this year, should approach more unheard prog sounds.
Key tracks: Totem On The Timeline, Magick, Four Horsemen Of 2012
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Two Receivers (04:18)
Krill edible oceans at their feet
A troublesome troop out on safari
a lullaby holds their drones in sleep
For tatteling clearly indiscreet
Five fallible flags in hypersonic
Are told to stay nearly out of reach
And in space / two receivers turn away
Just in case / two receivers turn away
To displace / two receivers turn away
And in space...
Submissions in outer regions pleased
A gathering of teens in old sargasso
Who's aim is to fall flat at their feet
While sat on a sparsely crowded beach
Marie noticed change in perfect timing
A widow to all but her pastiche
And in space / two receivers turn away.
Just in case /two receivers turn away.
To displace / two receivers turn away.
And in space...
Eternal flow strings to your bow
Roam through the globe
Eternal flow strings to your bow
Roam through the globe
02 Atlantis to Interzone (03:18)
Good thieves of burning cars encirle poisened rivers minds and hearts
Horses want to dance but find their wings are damaged, water damaged
Gold is selling well but hurry nightly ocean rising fast
A big man with a plan has got a storm a-coming, monster coming.
From Atlantis to interzone
You start on the edge and you end on your own.
From Atlantis to interzone
You start on the edge and you end on a throne
We're fragments of fiction
Your dead man half alive who hangs from helping numbers one to five
His ears pricked with the knife hears that the east are coming, west are coming
From gravity's rainbow, the axis here is still unknown
The children's faces glow
The wasteland guides them, wasteland guides them.
03 Golden Skans (02:45)
Light touch my hands, in a dream of Golden Skans, from now on.
You can forget our future plans.
Night touch my hands with the turning Golden Skans,
From the night to the light, all plans are golden in your hand.
Set sail from sense, bring all her young.
Set sail from where we once begun.
While we wait, while we wait.
A hall of records, or numbers, or spaces still undone.
Ruins, or relics, disciples and the young.
Light touch my hand, in a dream of Golden Skans, from now on.
You can forget our future plans.
Night touch my hand with the turning Golden Skans,
From the night to the light, all plans are golden in your hand.
We sailed from sense, brought all our young.
We sailed from where we once begun.
While we wait, while we wait.
A hall of records, or numbers, or spaces still undone.
Ruins, or relics, disciples and the young.
Light touch my hands, in a dream of Golden Skans, from now on.
You can forget our future plans.
Night touch my hands with the turning Golden Skans,
From the night to the light, all plans are golden in your hand
04 Totem on the Timeline (02:41)
At club 18-30 I met Julius Caesar,
Lady Diana and Mother Theresa.
At club 18-30 I met Julius Caesar,
Lady Diana and Mother Theresa.
Signs, you know I see them all the time.
Time, is just a fraction of a sign.
Cerebella sitting on the totem timeline.
Unwelcome foreign hands,
are very hard to find.
And hangmen also die,
in famagusta's hive.
Cerebella sitting on the totem timeline.
Unwelcome foreign hands,
are very hard to find.
And hangmen also die,
in famagusta's hive.
At club 18-30 I met Julius Caesar,
Lady Diana and Mother Theresa.
At club 18-30 I met Julius Caesar,
Lady Diana and Mother Theresa.
Signs, you know I see them all the time.
Time, is just a fraction of a sign.
Cerebella sitting on the totem timeline.
Unwelcome foreign hands,
are very hard to find.
And hangmen also die,
in famagusta's hive.
Cerebella sitting on the totem timeline.
Unwelcome foreign hands,
are very hard to find.
And hangmen also die,
in famagusta's hive.
Cerebella sitting on the totem timeline.
Unwelcome foreign hands,
are very hard to find.
And hangmen also die,
in famagusta's hive.
Cerebella sitting on the totem timeline.
Unwelcome foreign hands,
are very hard to find.
And hangmen also die,
in famagusta's hive.
05 As Above, So Below (03:58)
Sailing silver waves, through the skies and round your eyes
And in the pockets of the tide a meeting place by night
Sequin covered swans, that are used to make their own mosaics
A ceremony comes:
An exponential fate
The dance of the cosmos shows
The stitches of space that slowly come and go
The dance of the cosmos shows, as above, so below
A whiporwhill will in flight, turns east towards westphalia
Insearch of lost time, with the magic of true light
Tone zodiac in tune, with the fossils of our themepark
And falling from the seams, is a steeple swarmed light
The dance of the cosmos shows
The stitches of space that slowly come and go
The dance of the cosmos shows, as above, so below
Galloping galloping beams faster...
Joining together and still faster...
Onwards past never and still faster...
Always past never and still faster...
06 Isle of Her (03:54)
Row, there's only seven more miles to go
We'll reach the isle of her
Row, there's only seven more miles to go
We'll find the peacock's tail
Row, there's only seven more miles to go
We'll steal the mother of pearl
Row, there's only seven more miles to go
We'll eat the dancing girls
Cyclops gazing alone
Facing mirrors that show
The reflection, his own
Face to face
A hand on each of the oars
A hand on each of the oars
We're seven miles from shore
Just keep on going
Row, there's only seven more miles to go
We'll sail across dry lands
Row, there's only seven more miles to go
We'll cut the grassy knoll
Row, there's only seven more miles to go
We'll steal a single jewel
Row, there's only seven more miles to go
We'll light(?)the crystal sword
07 Gravity's Rainbow (02:36)
Come on with me through ruined lipglock
Accross Tangian deserts we'll flock
Madcap Medusa, flank my foghorn
We'll change four seasons with our first born
All ships of sense on hyper ocean
All kites of chaos still in motion
My culture vulture such a dab hand
I'll steal you from the year 4000
Come with me, come with me
We'll travel to infinity
Come with me, come with me
We'll travel to infinity
I'll always be there, oh, oh, my future love
I'll always be there, for you, my future love
Your tears leave trails of tik van loof (??)
Autonoma, the rubix groom hoom
The crippled lines that I can't get to
You'd slip through time but I won't let you
Come with me, come with me
We'll travel to infinity
Come with me, come with me
We'll travel to infinity
I'll always be there, oh, oh, my future love
I'll always be there, for you, my future love
08 Forgotten Works (03:26)
The tomb crew bring sugar oil
We'll meet at the mirrored statue
Margaret my girl, standing on air
That is my name. That is my name.
Light the bridges with the lantern,
you know somethings going to happen (x2)
The tomb crew bring sugar oil
We'll meet at the mirrored statue
Margaret my girl, Standing on air
That is my name. That is my name.
Light the bridges with the lantern,
you know somethings going to happen (x4)
Tigers: in-boil
:forgotten works
09 Magick (03:30)
Magick without tears
Magick without tears
Magick without tears
We're magickal veneer
The way to mother noose
The way to suck an egg
The way to golden dawn
The way to Koh Phangan
The glitter on the snow
The place to always go
Do what you will
Do what you will
The glitter on the snow
The place to always go
Do what you will
Do what you will
Magick without tears
Magick without tears
Magick without tears
We're magickal veneer
The way to mother noose
The way to suck an egg
The way to golden dawn
The way to Koh Phangan
The glitter on the snow
The place to always go
Do what you will
Do what you will
The glitter on the snow
The place to always go
Do what you will
Do what you will
The vision and the voice
The view from devils town
The snake with tail on tongue
The broken silver one
The glitter on the snow
The place to always go
Do what you will
Do what you will
Magick without tears
Magick without tears
Magick without tears
We're magickal veneer
10 It's Not Over Yet (03:35)
I live for you.
I die for you.
Do what you want me to.
I cry for you, my tears will show that i can't let you go.
It's not over,not over, not over, not over yet.
You still me want me don't you?
It's not over,not over, not over, not over yet.
Cause i can see through you.
It's not over,not over, not over, not over yet.
You still want me don't you?
It's not over,not over, not over, not over yet.
Don't let me down, don't make a sound.
Don't throw it all away.
Remember me so tenderly.
Don't let it slip away.
It's not over,not over, not over, not over yet.
You still me want me don't you?
It's not over,not over, not over, not over yet.
Cause i can see through you.
It's not over,not over, not over, not over yet.
You still want me don't you?
It's not over,not over, not over, not over yet.
It's not over,not over, not over, not over yet.
You still me want me don't you?
It's not over,not over, not over, not over yet.
Cause i can see through you.
It's not over,not over, not over, not over yet.
You still want me don't you?
It's not over,not over, not over, not over yet.
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By Ford_Prefect
Damn chic frou-frou production, now these tracks can only be danced by the little guy in the pink Playboy shirt and glasses that cost as much as a year’s pension for my grandma.
Mom, I don’t want to be a new-raver anymore, I’m enrolling in university…
