Klaxons, The - Xan Valleys (EP)
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Xan Valley is the debut EP of a trio from East London named the Klaxons. These young lads (Jamie Reynolds, James Righton and Stefan Halperin) formed late last year, and have already enjoyed a glint of success and quite a following in their homeland. This is most likely due to a certain website that helped kick-start the Arctic Monkeys careers as well.
They describe their influences as being, “Josef K (Scottish post punk band) - meets - Baby D (rapper).”
So, with these influences in mind, and a few many others as well, each song is heavily layered with a variety of sounds all trying to break through at once to be heard, and each rather different from the last. Nevertheless, what wouldn’t work for others - they have made work for them… kind of.
The EP consists of 3 original tracks, a cover, 2 remixes and a video clip.
'Gravity’s Rainbow' comprises a bass line opener, primal drumming, basic keyboard chords and a half - falsetto vocal creates a jumbled, repetitive erratic mash of Presets meets Valentinos with a dirty slap dash vibe, and you’ll be damned if you can get the chorus out of a your head, or have it there for an infinity!
'Atlantis to Interzone' involves screeching synthesisers, sirens, bass, hard hitting drums, and a mystical story all weaved into one.
'4 Horsemen 2012'is haunting synthesisers and lyrics, yelling, fast paced background drumming, a little deeper and darker than the last, like a scary story from childhoods past.
'The Bouncer' sounds nothing like the rest… and with good reason, as it’s a cover of a song from a band called Kicks Like a Mule. With a similar bass line as used in '4 Horsemen 2012' they’ve moulded it into a synth induced, stadium clapping, repetitive, with that unfriendly reminder of that mean bouncer most have come across who just won’t budge.
To get a full rounded appreciation for these songs though, they’d be best listened to live, where you can dance your indie heart out like no-one’s watching.
Klaxon – (apparently) coined from the Greek verb klazien meaning ‘to make loud noise’- and they certainly do.
