Klaxons

Love or hate the English press, they're a powerful instrument. Whether it be oversensationalist claims (#5), or... well actually that's about all they're good for. The NME has been pushing for this "new rave" genre as of late. A proposed renaissaince of sorts for rave, which was huge in the UK by the early 90s. Groups like 808 State, A Guy Called Gerald, the Prodigy, etc. thrived under the drug-crazed genre, packing clubs like Manchester's Haçienda. For several reasons it eventually died off and split into a bunch of sub-genres which retain remnants of the dead genre.

This all leads up to yet another group the media are warming to, the Klaxons. They've been getting a lot of press lately, largely in part of the blogosphere. And they're interesting to say the least. Whereas the Arctic Monkeys seemed a tad simple-minded, the Klaxons appear to be fairly well read and intelligent. They're avid fans of avant-garde novelist William S. Burroughs, a writer I've recently taken an interest in. As for their sound, it's not quite like the rave of old, but more modern and edgy (what I'd expect). They've got an indie-rock pedigree (bass and guitar that sound very garagey), but the hard electronic backings are evidence of the rave influence.

Their first EP, Xan Valleys, was released a month ago, a good listen. Their full-length debut is apparently set for January, which I'm looking forward to.

Klaxons - Gravity's Rainbow [mp3] [buy]
Klaxons - Atlantis to Interzone [mp3]
Klaxons - 4 Horsemen of 2012 [mp3]