Klaxons/ Surfing The Void

Klaxons
Surfing the Void
(Polydor)

So it’s here. After the label rejection, after the fallouts, after the drugs, parties, and surprise gigs, it's the four boys that never invented Nu Rave. The roar has returned.
But beyond the hyperbole there are some real questions. For instance, if you invest in futurist dystopia for so long, where do you end up? Has staring deep into the apocalypse for over four years chewed the Klaxons up and spat them out?
The blueprint for 'Surfing the Void' entertains a similar formulae to their earlier output. Continuity can be found in references to hip-lit as they extend their foray into the unknown and the ambiguous. For example, 'Venusia' references both an Italian town familiar to historians of Ancient Greek (thanks Wikipedia) and a ‘minor planet’ (see: Wikipedia) that orbits the Sun.
The biggest surprise is that these esoteric ideas actually make for a playful listen, because in 2010 we don’t listen to LP’s wearing smoking jackets with a bottle of brandy (as I imagine Philip Larkin would). We have the Internet within reaching distance.
The inspired choice here is Ross Robinson behind the production desk; his knowledge of post hardcore records comes into play with the attack/release of tracks being almost immaculate. As much as the guitars have gone through various distortions and oscillations the sound is relatively clean, likewise with the vocals where you can hear their regional inflections.
For all the trauma that has lead up to this album’s release it sounds easy, like you or I could do it in a week. And surely that's the greatest trick of all.