"Keyboards save Klaxons from an empty 'Void'" by Give It a Spin

Keyboards save Klaxons from an empty 'Void'

Blog: Give It a Spin

October 1, 2010

Look you guys, it's a cat in a spacesuit! No matter the quality of this album, I already have warm feelings towards it.

Listening to the Klaxons' sophomore LP "Surfing the Void," you may wonder if this baby's parents are Britt Daniel and Alan Parsons. At least I do. You may also hope so hard that some person with time and talent on his or her hands feels the need to turn these songs into chiptunes, because they would probably sound even better that way. Cat in a spacesuit!

The Polydor label rejected the London band's initial iteration of their second album for being too experimental. Seeing as portions of it did find their way to the final product, I'm curious as to how bad it could have actually been. "Valley of the Calm Trees," a song that appeared on both versions, is nothing if not familiar. Spacey rock guitars sprawling over a Halloweeny keyboard riff doesn't stray far from "experimental" music of the ’70s and ’80s. In other words, whatever changes were made for the record that was actually released left it fairly benign — mission accomplished for Polydor, but as a person who welcomes the experimental, I wonder if I wouldn't have better enjoyed the former.

It should be noted that what we do get is a beat-fueled rock record enhanced by the contributions of keyboardist James Righton ... and a cat in a spacesuit. "Echoes" opens the album with arrhythmic pounding on the keys (akin to Caribou's "Odessa") followed by "The Same Space," which has almost an MGMT "Electric Feel" to it. I'd continue by comparing some songs to things from Art Brut to OK Go, but it's just too easy. And in all fairness, the Klaxons' songs are mostly heavier than the music to which I've compared them, the exception perhaps being "Venusia," which bridges more into psychedelic territory than the others. "Flashover" stands out as an exceptionally protean track in the mix, folding in hard rock, electropop, progressive and punk styles. They really didn't even need spacesuit cat to make me like them! But I'm glad he's there, anyway.

The Klaxons headline a show at Seattle's Chop Suey Oct. 5. Tickets are $15 through TicketWeb.

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douglas 1 year, 7 months ago

Keyboards save Klaxons from an empty 'Void'

They sound a bit like a cross between Gary Newman and Flock of Seagulls with a little bit of Kraftwerk thrown in for good measure. That's not a bad thing, mind you. An interesting mix of early electronica with a contemporary sound.

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