Myths Of The Near Future

Never heard of this. Predictions: - UK (name is a giveaway tbh) - indie rock - unremarkable - goes for an hour Ok, got the length wrong (by thanks of a 15min silent secret track that's unavailable on Spotify lol) but otherwise nailed it. Nameless mid-00s indie rock from the UK. Nothing critically bad, but consistently low-level boring. Had "indie with disco beats and mellotron" vibes in some songs. Another result of Dimery's obsession with showcasing the UK at any cost. 3/5.

We’re fragments of fiction!!! This was really up my alley. I hadn’t heard any of this and will revisit. I love that the songs all sound different and add to the overall listening experience. I want to say that it’s “proggy” but I don’t really know what that means. The musicians are talented. Thank you.

What a great album! This is the first time that I've heard of this band and I'm absolutely devastated it took me this long. Not only the music and vocal are great, but also the album makes references to some of my favourite books! I love the atmosphere of the record, putting some postmodernistic twist in their sound, appropriate to the books quoted on the tracks. I'm only after the first listening, so my emotions are really fresh, but for sure my next weeks will be spent trying to listen Klaxons to the ground. Great start of the week!

Meh. More brit-pop techno-disco-electro shit. Nothing special and not on the level of anything anyone would say you must hear before you die. 2/5

This is a crazy album in the best way. It’s nonstop energy.

This rocks 4 Welp 5

This sounds like something produced by ChatGPT after I ask it to make an album combining the sounds of the 20 most popular post-2005 indie rock bands. And that’s a good thing.

Reminds me of Bloc Party, but at a lower level.

Being drawn to sci-fi postmodernist literature at the time this one came out, *Myths Of The Near Future* was bound to tick a lot of boxes for me. With a track named "Gravity's Rainbow", how could I *not* spot that debut album? It's a great and lively track by the way, whose lyrics are only vaguely indebted to Thomas Pynchon's magnum opus, thematically speaking. Yet the song would provide great opening titles if a director or a showrunner was bold enough to adapt this crazy mammoth of a novel for a TV series (or for a *dozen* theatrical films, lol). Apart from that track, many other dance-punk songs slap on this LP: "Two Receivers", "Golden Skans", "As Above So Below", "Magick", "It's Not Over Yet"... I was surprised to find out that the latter was actually a cover version of an older dance track after all these years (those liner notes on my own copy of the album are too messy, which probably explains why I couldn't read them properly). Listening to the original was a decidedly *weird* experience, ha ha. Sometimes dated and cheesy arrangements can hide great songs, I guess... Speaking of "dated arrangements", *Myths Of The Near Future* is admittedly very much of its time as well. Yet Klaxons' music was eccentric and original enough to set them apart from the other dance-rock / landfill indie bands of the late naughts. It all boils down to the melodic earworms the band keeps piling up through their elated pop vocals, along with their bizarre synth hooks, rumbling distorted basslines and drilling, noisy guitars. And there are all the literary references sprinkled throughout the album, too. Such literate eccentricity is a plus that makes this record far more relatable than other forays into that overall dance-punk genre. Too bad a lot of people are unable to feel that in the reviews here. To put it in a nutshell, *Myths Of The near Future* is one of the best releases of 2007 (a year where a lot of bland stuff was singled out by the music press, unfortunately). My overall grade for it is 4.5/5, but given how criminally low their score currently is, I'm gonna round that grade up to a perfect 5. Next, please. Number of albums left to review: 563 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 212 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 102 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 127

This album is perfect for psyching myself up to go back to school and out myself back into student debt. I’ll be straight up. I loved it, and I thought it was magick. Each song brought a fascinating element to the table, and I absolutely LOVE when bands just shoot for the moon and throw everything at it. My fav on the album, Gravity’s Rainbow, makes me want to both dance for 100 hours straight while climbing Mt Everest. Oh but this review isn’t over yet. If these are the myths of the near future, I can’t wait to see what the myths of the distant future are. Now the review is over.

It's a good album and the band probably would have been fun to see live. But is there really anything exceptional or groundbreaking about it? I've heard loads of bands doing very similar things and frankly, these guys seemed a little late the dance-punk party. I'd pick The Rapture's Echoes over this one personally. That doesn't mean it's a bad album. Not at all. I enjoyed it all the way through for what it is. I just don't know that it's interesting enough to be on this list.

2.4 - Noisy, headache-inducing electro-pop vomit reminiscent of Franz Ferdinand but without a single solid hook. In fact, I'd say every hook attempt fails miserably. To name just a few: the "come with me, we'll travel to infinity" line on "Gravity's Rainbow", the "light the bridges with the lantern..." line on "Forgotten Works", and the "do what you will" line on "Magick."

Oohh boy was I excited to see this pop up, what an absolute fucking cracker of a throwback to Year 8. There's also a certain apprehension present as it's been at least 15 or 16 years since I straightened my fringe and put this on. But yes mate it's lived up to the hype very well, break out the GHD. I remember never having heard anything like Golden Skans before, one of the first times I felt physically transported to another dimension by vehicle of song alone. I think it was the Henry's that bought me the CD for my birthday that year (they were also responsible for Avril Lavigne's SK8er Boy single, both of which are still proudly on display in the cd collection. My (very brief) year 8 girlfriend Addy Whiton needs a shout out here too. Before we dated she got wind of me liking the Klaxons (probably from the "Listening Now" section on MSN Messenger). A few days later she had a friend deliver me a mix cd of Klaxons, Looks, Arctic Monkeys, The Hives etc along with a bright pink Klaxons poster that she had written a little note on the back of. I remember her waving to me as her bus went past Mater Hill. Still have the mix cd but regrettably I binned the poster in a misguided fit of emotional cleansing after we broke up a few weeks later. Alright enough of that, now I'm at It's Not Over Yet (best track outside of Golden Skans and Gravitys Rainbow) and the album has most definitely held up far far better than I expected. It's actually to the point of it being better than I remember. Also interesting that I (kind of) understand the Pynchon reference now as well (at least the 25 pages I've managed to get through so far). Also had never got to the secret track on the end of Four Horsemen of 2012 before which was a nice treat to round out what has been my favourite album (and review) that's come up within at least the last couple of months.

Rating: 10/10

Enjoyed most of this. Will definitely re-visit in the near future.

I had never heard of these guys. Enjoyed this album from start to finish.

Ok

Is this what was once called "landfill indie"? If so, it was well-named (and I say that as a mild fan of some *terrible* early 2000's bands - hi, Hard-Fi!) Occasional hints of a tune, buried under some appalling production. Rating below puts this on par with "Pet Sounds", appropriately enough

Oh look, Of Montreal and MGMT have a less interesting cousin over in the UK. If you liked how weird this was, go checkout Of Montreal's Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer which released in the same year. That was Of Montreal's 8th album. No matter how much the Klaxon want to rewrite history on their band blurbs, they're a derivative act from a time just before the internet made it so obvious.

In my rating system, 1 means "shouldn't be on the list." This is an emphatic 1!! Get this off, asap!! 1001 slots for "albums you should listen to," I am realizing, is a precious resource that must be rationed. We can't afford to have this on there. Unite against this pick! Every choice they made musically is the opposite choice I wanted them to make. Musically, like George Kostanza in that one Seinfeld episode, who could have succeeded simply by doing the opposite. Somehow wacky but not in an endearing way at ALL. I really dislike every choice they made. I'm getting the sense that they are trying to write anthemic, show-stopping mid-2000's hit singles on every song. It's just that they fall flat on their face every song. Embarrassing to listen to honestly! Bummer about the album cover. A genuinely cool cover that caused me to give this a closer look than it deserved! 1/5

The most late 2000’s shit I’ve ever heard. This sounds like what would play after a transformers movie. Or perhaps during a video of somebody building a Lego Star Wars prequel set. Maybe in a PowerPoint made by a couple high school nerds who love Halo 3 and Modern Warfare on xbox 360. I wish I’d been that kinda guy in that period of time. Damn.

English Indie Rock that reminds me of Muse with driving rhythms and suspended chords and cool keyboards and heavy bass. Vocals is reminiscent of Brandon Flowers (The Killers). The band only released three albums.

ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. I fucking love it. just amazing. definitely one of my favorite albums ever.

Never listened to this band. I enjoyed the vocals a lot. Solid rock album. I'll check out their other albums as well.

Really, really strong start to this album that doesn't quite manage to maintain that momentum throughout. It's still well worth a listen and one I'm keen to get back to again.

Almost offensively British. Sound of the 00s in its purest form. All over the place … and I just dig it. I had all but forgotten “Golden Skans”. What a tune!

My first listen I was unimpressed but this one grew on me. They have kind of an unusual sound but it comes together into some pretty decent songs that sort of mix punk with a bit of Gorillaz and maybe some avant-garde or something. Competent musicianship all around and creative songwriting. A low point is definitely Isle of Her, which I find to be kind of boring and a bit too heavy on the weird factor. The other dud is Four Horsemen which I find is just a bit too intense that it loses out on the intricate sound the other tracks have. Also it doesn't have a melody since they just sort of yell the lyrics, and the song misses that. These two low points are easily outweighed by the good work on the rest of the album however. My highlight is probably the intro to Atlantis to Interzone, where that vocalization noise in your left ear and the siren in your right ear sounda chaotic but quickly resolve into the beat of the song. Really nice stuff.

I was expecting to hate this, but I did not.

I remember trying to like this as a teenager, forcing myself like learning to drink coffee. It’s still hype holding together posh boy edge, but I’m half here for nostalgia now - it’s an objective 1.5, I admit.

Not bad. I knew a couple of tracks. I gotta feeling they’re underrated but hey.

Some of it wasn't just noise, but not much.

Klaxons were not shy in splashing some of Gen X’s favourite literary references into their titles - along with other weirdoes of the vintage, my tail wags at Burroughs and Ballard - and their pick ’n’ mix post-punk is similarly modish, with the thick, overly busy production of the period leaving no space to savour. Made out one song in the mix, then realised it was a cover. They were pipped to first place in the UK album charts by Norah Jones. I don’t know Simon, it’s no Pet Sounds.

this is so 2007 - derogatory - so tired of this UK shit

Id say 4 out of 5, its pretty good

This record is fire

Peppy & sassy! Equal parts clever and fun! Totally enjoyable!

This was an interesting album, nice to see a new / current band that definitely fits my taste. Added a few to the playlist and plan to do a deeper dive. Reminds me of Fontaines DC.

Not sure why it’s here, but I love it.

A very, very interesting album. I love the exploration of postmodern literature in musical form — but very listenable! Absolutely deserved its Mercury Prize win. A great example of British indie from the aughts.

A really great upbeat trippin’ good time

just a good indie album

a collage of every garish, beautiful melody someone could think of, glued together and put on the road. for my money, the closest possible thing a new rave record has come to the deranged eclecticism of Fantasy Black Channel. when i first heard it, i thought i wouldn't be thinking about the songs past first exposure. upon revisiting, it becomes apparent that every single song was just waiting to be rediscovered, each bassline or siren a loud, brash sound dispelling the ideas of it being any sort of relic. barring "isle of her" (which, like. cmon) i don't even think i could tell you what track is my favorite. it's gonna become (or has become, if you consider Brat Summer to have been an extension of bloghouse chic) cool to like this type of music again very soon. im more prepared than all of you.

I do like this band and there are a couple of great tracks on this album but let's face it they are another in the long line of medium-good British bands that anger the American users who can't get over the fact our music is better ;-) For that reason it's a solid ***** from me Matthew..

I always thought I liked this album but it turns out I LOVE it. Like if David Bowie had been reborn as a 20-something when he died. No idea how they even started with the arrangement or production on this, it’s SO tight.

How have I not found this before?? Pure chaos and I love it

Really digging this! Stand outs: Two Receivers, Golden Skans - seriously all solid songs.

Really enjoyed this one. Great riffs, interesting lyrics. 5/5!

Love it

For some reason, I completely forgot about this album! I listened to it on repeat when it first came out and it perfectly encapsulates the style and vibe of that period.

Das ging rein in meine Ohren. Ich kannte die Gruppe und das Album bisher nicht. Wie konnte das geschehen? Tolles Album.

This album was great. I listened to it twice and was vibing the whole time. It’s energetic, interesting and such a cool sound.

So cool, I loved this sound! Amazing to hear something so distinctive and enjoyable after nearly a thousand daily albums.

Wow this was a catchy load of fun! Really terrific!

Great discovery!

Wow I really enjoyed this one, plus the album art is so cool

Coined as a "science-fiction concept album about the future" and I'm here for it. I had a feeling that I'd heard these guys before and as soon as Golden Skans kicked in it all came rushing back. So first run through was getting familiar with the concept again and second listen was enjoying the energy. Faves: Golden Skans, Isle Of Her, Gravity's Rainbow, Forgotten Works, and It's Not Over Yet.

Damn, I must have had these folks mixed up with someone else in my head, (The Zutons maybe? 🥴) because this was not what I was expecting! Pretty crazy I haven't listened to them before, as they seem to be extremely my thing - just looking at the song titles there's references to alchemy, Pynchon and Burroughs! "Magick" is clearly referencing Crowley from the lyrics, too. Went back for a third listen as soon as I finished the second. Cracking stuff! Fave tracks - "Atlantis to Interzone" love a good AWOOOGA to kick off a tune. "Gravity's Rainbow". though perhaps I'm influenced by my love of the book. Their cover of "It's not Over Yet" is fun too.

Интересно, как раз моё.

меня очень впечатлил этот альбом. прям вау!

конец разъеб слушал всей семьей алкоальбом: pornstar

idk what I expected but that wayy exceeded it that was such a fun album, definitely revisiting

Big fan of brit rock and this album did not disappoint.

Ook de nummers die geen singles waren hebben me kunnen bekoren. Heel toffe plaat

This was a great surprise! Hadn’t heard of them before so I was very happy about the quality of this album

Loved this. Perfect album to listen to on a road trip to Mars. Favourite song - Golden Skans (obviously)

Brilliant debut from the short lived Klaxons

It’s been at least 10 years since I’ve heard this one properly. I still occasionally hear Golden Skans on the radio, but Klaxxons I think are a largely forgotten band (seems they’ve been inactive since 2014). Before today, I don’t know if I would have thought to put this on a list of my top albums of the 2000s. Now I’m pretty sure I would have in the top 3 maybe.

Gloriously barmy. I love every second of this nutty LP.

There's a couple songs I've known from this album for a while but never checked out the whole thing. What a mistake that was. This album is so much fun, it's over in a flash and pretty much every song bombards you with catchy hooks or riffs. Listened to it 3 times during the day and I intend to listen to it some more. Perfectly represent a certain time for indie rock in the UK in the 2000s along with the first Arctic Monkeys record where rock music was fun and exciting.

How could I have never heard of this band before. Because damn I've missed out. This album is a pure gem, I'm definitely going to listen to this album on a regular base. Love the sound of it. So far no specific favourites, because all of them sound great

Love the energy, very Arctic Monkeys-esque

Good shit, man. Klaxons is one I certainly knew of but not particularly well. I remember Golden Skans and It's Not Over Yet being radio staples in 2007-2010; they were definitely a British indie staple amongst the likes of Arctic Monkeys, The Wombats, etc. Either way, this is an album that still slaps today. It has that element of distortion and danceability that keeps my attention throughout. Even the big one of this album, Golden Skans, is a total bop again now, even if it got a ridiculous amount of airtime back when it was released. Also, massive nostalgia for those Yamaha PSR "DJ" samples - Surely that keyboard voice was the bane of any music teacher in the 90's and 00's. I'd not really heard Atlantis to Interzone before but it slaps. Didn't realise how hard this album could get. Additionally, is it bad that it was only fairly recently that I found out It's Not Over Yet is a cover? Favourite: Golden Skans

The first three songs really catch your attention. I especially like the way they change up the styles and production – going all clubby-with-sirens-samples-guitars-and-screams on Atlantis to Interzone followed by the infectious pop of Golden Skans, which apparently has been many times covered and used in TV commercials, not surprisingly. The lesser-known tracks that follow are maybe not as hit-worthy but are still catchy, innovative and well-produced: they get the most out of three vocalists (Isle of Her and Forgotten Works are good examples). I put a lot of weight on The Mercury Prize, especially from that era. We could do worse than listening to MP winners and runners up for the rest of our lives. The fact that this beat out “Back in Black” is saying something. The LP apparently got mixed reviews from the critics, mostly due to the fact that they weren’t rave enough to be labelled New Rave. That’s okay by me.

I'm a sucker for anything that's obviously influenced by and holds reverence for good speculative fiction. I was worried that the music itself wouldn't match those high expectations, but it absolutely did. I'll be checking out the rest of their catalog. Best track: Magick

Sunny weather driving music. Not too hot on the late 2000’s indie explosion but this one is an exception.

Non-stop energy! Super cool listen. Screw it… 5 stars.

One of my favourite albums, favourite songs are 'Two Receivers,' 'Atlantis to Interzone,' 'Golden Skans,' 'As Above So Below,' 'It's Not Over Yet' and 'Magick'

Accompaniment of mental decay...

This. This is what I came here for. To discover new, great music. "Myths of the Near Future" comes out swinging and never lets up. The energy is contagious, the songs are hooky, and the production is top-notch. It was an immediate repeat play for me. Just great. Can't believe I'd never heard of Klaxons before. They're certainly on my radar now.

What a nice surprise that was. Some say that rock is dead, certainly it doesn't dominate, but bands like Klaxon take rock into this century with aplomb. It's noticeable that they take us on a journey from obvious rock to stuff which is a little more electronic, a bit more dance oriented. Yet I think the last few songs, which feature some killer bass work, actually rock harder while bringing on the funk.

Even though the last couple songs don’t live up to the rest of the album, the album as a whole kicks ass. It’s just one of the purest forms of 2000s alt rock short of the arctic monkeys I’ve heard in a while. The run of songs from golden skans to forgotten works is just excellent.

Niceee

Never listened to anything from this band, but I'm a fan. Surprised this came out in 2007, sounds more recent. Some Cage the Elephant vibes which I dig.

1st half is 3.5 second half is 4.

Enjoyed this album. A bit all over the place, stylistically. Leans into being a bit absurd. Fun time.

Enjoyed it

solid indie rock record

It’s only the Arctic Monkeys that survived the British indie rock fad, nobody really talks about other bands from this era. They’re out of relevance but I do like this album. Lead vocalist is married to Keira Knightley, lucky bastard…

This was pretty good. Strong Foster the People vibes here (which is fine with me) if not quite as good. 3.6

Reminds me a bit of early Arctic Monkeys at times, but more interesting in a lot of areas.

Never heard of this band before. Pretty good. A lot like Franz Ferdinand, and the Killers. So if you like those bands you will probably like this.

Never heard of this group but I'll check out more of their stuff.

Great album!

Oh yeah, I dig this.

Never heard of Klaxons before but that was a really good album. Favorite song: Two Receivers.

Nie jest to mój ulubiony britrockowy zespół, ale nadal duch gatunku unosi się nad wodami. Pierwsza połowa płyty dużo mocniejsza, z pomysłem, z własnym stylem. Druga robi się trochę chaotyczna i niespójna. 8/10

Two Receivers // Atlantis To Interzone // Golden Skans // Totem On The Timeline // Magick // It’s Not Over Yet //

The klaxons remind me of high school nights of fifa tournaments and pot. Gladen Skans is featured on FIFA10... hence the nostalgia

I don't know if this is good rave music per se, but compared to what we've had recently this sounded good and I'd listen again. 3.5 rounded up.

Didn't know what to expect at all. Was really surprised. Some of the tracks sounded familiar. I actually really enjoyed it. Highlights: Atlantis To Interzone Golden Skans Forgotten Works