Myths Of The Near Future
by Klaxons
  • Record Label: Geffen
  • Release Date: Mar 27, 2007
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 28
  3. Negative: 1 out of 28
  1. musicOMH.com
    60
    If it weren't for the big three singles... and the habitually contagious Golden Skans standing well above the rest of the album, there would be nothing new or interesting about Myths.
  2. Q Magazine
    60
    Tidy enough indie pop, though the glowstick remains unwaved. [Feb 2007, p.99]
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  3. cokemachineglow
    60
    Myths of the Near Future is probably the most assured British debut since Franz Ferdinand’s self-titled.
  5. Prefix Magazine
    60
    So eager are Klaxons to prove they're not one-trick "new ravers" that they fall into contemporary dance-rock conventions.
  6. PopMatters
    60
    While Myths of the Near Future is far from revolutionary, the creative, layered production on their debut is definitely worth checking out.
  7. Stylus Magazine
    58
    This clearly isn’t rave, or even a reinvention of rave. They’re an indie band with a half-decent gimmick.
  8. The A.V. Club
    58
    Most of this album is a slapdash mess.
  9. Rolling Stone
    40
    On Myths, they expand their suspiciously indie-ish rock riffs with tales of centaurs ("4 Horsemen of 2012") and Cyclopses ("Isle of Her"). Glowsticks are go! Or not!

User Reviews

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User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 72 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 72
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 72
  3. Negative: 8 out of 72
  1. Ricko
    Feb 8, 2013
    7
    It's got an absolutely blistering cover of "It's Not Over Yet" and you see absolute genius in action here. Outside of that there isn't muchIt's got an absolutely blistering cover of "It's Not Over Yet" and you see absolute genius in action here. Outside of that there isn't much else that grabs my attention. Yes its experimental and tried lots of new ideas out but generally it reminds me of a poorer, much less focused and much less melodic version of Bloc Party.… Full Review »
  2. PianoMan
    Aug 24, 2010
    9
    The rave scene. When you think about it, you would associate it with house music and drum 'n' bass. The kind of music you'd hear blaring outThe rave scene. When you think about it, you would associate it with house music and drum 'n' bass. The kind of music you'd hear blaring out of many 17 year-old adolescents' cars on a main road in a not very well known town. And then something weird happened. Rave got indie. New and young bands emerged and took indie music to the clubs. There were many pioneers of this. Late Of The Pier, for example, or Crystal Castles with their 8-bit chips at the ready. But there was no pioneer as distinctive, popular or insane as Klaxons.

    Now with less experienced indie-rave bands, they will make an album which will sound pretty strange and almost chaotic, but at the same time make an album that fails to capture their live sound. So all of the pressure was on Klaxons to make a pretty damn good album. And did they do it?

    Well 'Myths Of The Near Future' starts with 'Two Receivers', which starts with a quiet build-up of drums that then leads to a massive chorus, with indie guitars, rave synthesizers, and HUGE bass. Following it is 'Atlantis To Interzone', which is a primary example of Klaxons can do when they go absolutely mental. It's also the best ever use of a school Yamaha DJ keyboard. The clubs love it. The indie fans love it. And I love it.

    Then comes the song Klaxons are probably famous for, 'Golden Skans'. It's one of the most simple moments here, but still satisfies the ravers in great style. 'Totem On The Timeline' is a frantic 3-minute frenzy that's lyrics speak of meeting various historical figures in Club 1830. I.e. it's great.

    So too is 'As Above So Below', slower than some songs on here, but still keeps the wild party alive. Mind you, it would do, because it has a chorus the size of the cosmos it speaks of. 'Isle Of Her' is the slowest song on the album (and longest, if you don't count the 17-minute silence at the end of 'Four Horsemen Of 2012', which I'll talk about later). But is it boring? Hell no. It's as weird as the rest of the album, singing "Cyclops gazing alone", but is strangely chilling, something which Klaxons do very well indeed.

    The pace picks up with the arrival of single 'Gravity's Rainbow'. It's only two-and-a-half minutes, but it fills those two-and-a-half minutes with some of the most chaotic, insane and brilliant indie music that has been gracing the whole of Klaxons' debut. 'Forgotten Works' recalls J.G Ballard's short story book, which is also called 'Myths Of The Near Future', hence the album title. But the references are surrounded in a sound that dominates the three-and-a-half minutes. It is fantastic.

    Then comes what is definitely the pinnacle of the album, 'Magick'. Lesson to new bands: blaring synthesizers, pummeling drums and chilling vocals makes up for one hell of a song. Take heed, songwriters. Then comes a cover of the 90s dance made famous by Grace, 'Not Over Yet', which is a song I don't like. But if you listen to the cover version, you'll be able to tell that Klaxons have transformed it into something it should have been originally - mind-blowing.

    It all finishes with the afore mentioned 'Four Horsemen Of 2012', which, if not for the 17-minute silence following it, would be the shortest song on the album. The song itself is the noisiest and the scariest, but is incredibly thrilling at the same time.

    To sum up, then, 'Myths Of The Near Future' is regularly cacophonous, often insane and sometimes terrifying. Which is everything an indie-rave album should be.

    DOWNLOAD: 'Two Recievers', 'Forgotten Works', 'Magick'    … Full Review »
  3. ClaraP.
    Sep 10, 2007
    4
    two or three ok songs, then those monotonous, repetitive sing-songy chord structures, over and over and over again I thought I was going to two or three ok songs, then those monotonous, repetitive sing-songy chord structures, over and over and over again I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown - aaaaahhhh! "glow sticks"? "neon" what is this? have you people ever heard real rave music (it was 90% horrible too!) this is just fashion music. clangy and irritating after track four but yeah, first few tracks ok. mercury prize!?!? nuts.… Full Review »
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