Music

Klaxons have "terrified people" with 'Surfing the Void'

by Ciaran Thompson

Last month Klaxons finally released their sophomore album Surfing the Void three years after their Mercury Prize-winning debut LP Myths of Near Future. Upon its release, band members James Righton and Simon Taylor-Davis both feel like this record is unquestionably different than there previous in a sense that it has left some of their followers uneasy.

“I think we terrified people a little bit on this record,” guitarist Taylor-Davis said before the band’s gig last night at the Mod Club in Toronto. “Certainly for the people who bought the last record. We started off on a different place now as where we left off and people were pretty terrified of hearing ‘Flashover.'”

While Righton claims his first musical interest came from bands like Nirvana and Cypress Hill, Taylor-Davis revealed his first taste of music was not something he found enjoyable, but rather a little frightening.

“First thing that scared me was Sonic Youth, he said. “Scared me that there were people out there making music which you didn’t think anyone would bother making….first time hearing Swans and all those fucking weirdo noise records.”

Surfing the Void may not seem horrifying to everyone and with this record the band have managed to again provide great track sequencing. Last night the pair even suggested certain settings they think will offer the best listening experience.

“Good headphones and a little bit of a walk in the park,” Righton said. “Works really well in a car. We mixed it in a car. We would do remixes and go for a drive and listen to them and come back and tweak it. We’ve been quite lucky. It’s all kind of slotted into place. “Cypherspeed,” the last track on the album, couldn’t go anywhere but be the last track because it’s so fucking ultimate.”