Myths of the Near Future (album)

Keyboardist and vocalist James Righton met guitarist Simon Taylor while attending school; the latter would meet bassist and vocalist Jamie Reynolds. In January 2006, the band gained a manager and was attracting interest by labels. While in the planning stages for the first single, Reynolds and Big Joe, who released the song through his label, were discussing genres that had yet to be revived. The pair settled on the term "new rave" as a joke, though Righton felt it was not representative of their sound. The tag was slowly being applied to the band's contemporaries, such as CSS and New Young Pony Club. In May 2006, the band went on a short UK tour. Following a bidding war between various major labels, one of which tempted the band with a trip to space, they signed with Polydor Records. Klaxons appeared at Reading and Leeds Festivals and Bestival, before playing two shows in New York City. The bulk of their debut was recorded following Reading and Leeds. Sessions were held at The Premises and Parkgate Studios, with James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco acting as producer and Jimmy Robertson as engineer. "Gravity's Rainbow", "Atlantis to Interzone" and "Four Horsemen of 2012" were re-recorded for inclusion on the album. Ford played the drums on every track bar "Atlantis to Interzone", which were done by Steffan Halperin, who the band met through mutual friends of Twisted Charm. Klaxons were due to play a short, five-date US tour in November 2006; however, it was postponed in order for them finish working on their album. ==Composition and lyrics==

Overview Discussing the album's title, Taylor said "that's what all the songs are about. It came before the album", which is named after the anthology of short stories of the same name by British writer J. G. Ballard. Various postmodernism literary references can be heard throughout the album to the works of Ballard, William S. Burroughs and Thomas Pynchon, as well as commentary on Mayan prophecies, totemic ideology and futurism of science fiction. The band wrote the material in a small rehearsal room in the span of two weeks as to avoid over thinking. Dave de Sylvia for Sputnikmusic broke the album into two portions: the rock half that is "dominated by the infectious and enviously-simple basslines" from Reynolds, while the second is focused on "slowly unfolding pop soundscapes" from Righton. AllMusic reviewer Heather Phares said the band's "sound is closer to dance-punk than revamped Madchester giddiness," akin to the work of Bloc Party instead of Happy Mondays, highlighted by their "most overtly dancey song" in the form of "Atlantis to Interzone". The song's title references the Interzone (1989) by Burroughs, and is akin to a full band iteration of the Chemical Brothers. "Golden Skans" is an indie-funk song, which includes house-esque piano, that comes across as a mix of "Can You Feel It" (1981) by the Jacksons and "Good Dancers" (2003) by the Sleepy Jackson. "Golden Skans" is named after a light machine that appeared at various raves in the 1990s. "As Above, So Below" recalls Think Tank (2003)-era Blur, only to be interrupt by death metal guitar work in the style of Muse partway through. The staff at NME said "Gravity's Rainbow" is a disco-punk track that "captur[es] The Rapture's oozing vocals, !!!’s grooviness, DFA 1979's dirty basslines and a tune begging to be disassembled by Paul Epworth". The song's title refers to the Pynchon 1973 novel of the same name. When asked about referencing Crowley, Reynolds said it was "amusing to make a song about something that has caused a lot of trouble for other bands before". It swaps the original's synthesizer riff for a guitar part, and places more of an emphasis on the vocal melody. Its title is a reference to 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl (2006) by Daniel Pinchbeck. ==Release==

The Xan Valleys EP was released in Australia by Modular Recordings, consisting of Klaxons' first two singles, remixes and a music video. On 27 October 2006, Myths of the Near Future was announced for release in three months' time. "Magick" was released as the lead single from the album on three days later; the CD edition featured "Hall of Records" and a remix of "Magick". "Golden Skans" was released as the album's second single on 22 January 2007; the CD version included a remix of "Golden Skans" by Erol Alkan. Two versions were released on seven-inch vinyl: the first with live versions of "Golden Skans" and "The Bouncer", while the other featured a live version of "Atlantis to Interzone". Myths of the Near Future was released on 29 January 2007. Myths of the Near Future saw release in the US through Rinse Records on 27 March 2007. "Gravity's Rainbow" was released as the album's third single on 9 April 2007. The seven-inch vinyl version included "Electrickery" as its B-side, while the CD edition featured a remix of "Gravity's Rainbow" by Soulwax. Four days later, the band performed the song on Transmission. "It's Not Over Yet" was released as the album's fourth single on 25 June 2007. A French language version of "As Above, So Below", accompanied by a remix from Justice, was released as the album's fifth single on 12 November 2007 through Because Music. ==Touring==

Klaxons ended 2006 with three UK holiday shows, and a one-off Australian show for Modular Recordings, in December 2006. To promote the release of Myths of the Near Future, the band headlined the ShockWaves NME Awards Tour, which saw support from CSS, the Sunshine Underground and New Young Pony Club. Coinciding with the US edition of the album, they toured North America in April 2007. Following this, they performed at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, Glastonbury and Wireless Festivals. In July 2007, the band performed at T in the Park; surrounding their appearance at the Pitchfork Music Festival, the band played a handful of West Coast US shows. At the end of the month, the band played a delayed slot at Festival Internacional de Benicàssim as their flight was affected by poor weather conditions. A French festival performance and a tour of Australia were cancelled when Reynolds broke his leg, prompting him to require surgery. As he was recovering, the Violets bassist Joe Daniel temporarily filled in while Reynolds sung from a wheelchair for a London show and a stint in Japan in August 2007, leading to an appearance at the Reading and Leeds Festivals. They supported Björk on her North American tour, before embarking on their own; the Los Angeles, California date marked Reynolds' first gig without his cast. The trek also included an appearance on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', where they played "Gravity's Rainbow". Following this, they toured across Australia and then mainland Europe. ==Critical reception==

Myths of the Near Future was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 71, based on 28 reviews. while some said it only applied to "Atlantis to Interzone". Blender writer Jonah Weiner thought that the band's aesthetic "makes for some very good music", though said the majority of it was "unmemorable scenery—sustaining the weirdo mood without adding to it". Reynolds thought the listener "get the sense they don't know exactly what they're aiming for, and the resulting mish-mash of crude energy and unfocused ambition leaves the listener gloriously befuddled". ==Commercial performance and accolades==

The album charted at number two in the UK Album Chart, behind Norah Jones' album Not Too Late (2007). The album ended the year with sales of 274,000 in the UK. As of September 2020, it has sold 351,000 copies in the UK. It was certified platinum in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and silver in Ireland by the Irish Recorded Music Association, both in 2007. Myths of the Near Future won the Mercury Prize in 2007, which saw them earn £20,000, surpassing releases from Amy Winehouse and Bat for Lashes. The award saw album sales quintuple at the music retailer HMV. DIY, The Guardian and The Morning News all ranked the album at number five on their lists of the best releases of 2007, while Stereogum and Q ranked it at number 46 and 32 on their lists, respectively. == Track listing ==

All lyrics by Jamie Reynolds and Simon Taylor, all music by Klaxons, except where noted. ==Personnel==

Personnel per sleeve. Klaxons • Jamie Reynolds – bass, vocals • James Righton – keyboards, vocals • Simon Taylor – guitar, vocals Additional musicians • James Ford – drums (all except track 2) • Steffan Halperin – drums (track 2) Production and design • James Ford – producer, mixing • Jimmy Robertson – engineer • Nick Terry – mixing • Simon Taylor – artwork • Jamie Reynolds – artwork ==Charts and certifications==

Weekly charts Certifications == References ==