Klaxons - Surfing The Void

4.0

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The British electro-indie quartet trade in their synthesizers for a liberal dose of angry guitars on their highly anticipated second full-length effort.

On Surfing the Void, the instigators of the so-called ‘new rave’ movement have taken a step away from the day-glo infused sounds of debut album Myths of the Near Future towards a harder, more guitar-driven sound.

Without question the heavily compressed production of Ross Robinson, notable for his work with Slipknot and At The Drive-In, is a significant factor in this change of direction. So instead of the catchy indie pop and 90’s dance covers on ‘Myths…’, Surfing the Void serves up fare such as the garbled chaos of the title track and the distorted rumble of ‘Flashover’. Arguably the finest moment here is saved for last, with the explosive closer ‘Cypherspeed’ careering wildly out of control. By this point the heady days of the band’s 2007 debut seem like a distant memory.

However there is still a highly attuned pop sensibility at work, with lead single ‘Echoes’ and the ethereal ‘Venusia’ showcasing stadium sized hooks and the latter in particular nodding towards contemporaries such as Muse. The cosmic obsession is also a recurring theme throughout, as otherworldly lyrics such as ‘myriads of silver discs’ and track names including ‘Extra Astronomical’ the norm.

Although the so-called new ravers are going to be divided by its direction, Klaxons have produced a slick and cohesive rock record which shows enough craft to satisfy those worried that the band could not progress outside the confines of the new rave scene. Recommended for those looking to blast off into the stratosphere.

KLAXONS - 'ECHOES'

Editor review

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