Klaxons, Myths of the Near Future

Artist: The Klaxons
Album: Myths of the Near Future
Rating: 4/5

Myths of the Near Future is surprising mix of electronic and indie style. And by surprising, I mean surprisingly good.

Already many of these songs have hit high on the UK Top 40 including "Magick", "Golden Skans", and "It's Not Over Yet." "Magick" incorporates a creative mixture of vocals and instrumental feeling to produce a poppy sound. While in "It's Not Over Yet" you can hear why the band is not only electronic but can create an indie tune as well.

Although others still have not hit high on the charts, many are still worth listening to. The opening song, "Two Receivers" lets the vocals of the group really shine through their Round in the middle of the song, not to mention the infamous tune that comes with it. But if your more into hearing the true strings and beats of rock, "Totem On The Timeline" and "Gravitys Rainbow" really hit home in that ballpark.

The Klaxons are also known for adding in some very unique electronic bits and pieces. "Isle of Her" uses a sort of Alien Saucer beam sound as part of the melody with an easy beat. In "Atlantis to Interzone", the band uses a pre-recorded track which Jamie Reynolds [Bass] messes with to lead into the song.

The Klaxons are sometimes considered unusual in their different art form, and some songs appear that way. "Forgotten Works" may be considered at a first glance something that can be forgotten. It's initial disco lead and switch may throw some off from their expectations. However, listening through the whole thing can expose much more. "As Above So Below" creates the same sort of effect with a different intro, but leads to greatness.

The one song that has really shown some highlight in this album is "Golden Skans." The catchy background vocals with the bands instrumental capabilities bring in a completely new sound. "Golden Skans" has actually been covered by other similar indie bands such as Kaiser Chefs and Mark Ronson.

Although Myths of the Near Future may not be the future, it shows a very different side to indie music. Many call this new style nu-rave since it combines electronic with todays indie scene. More of this style is showing up seeing its success in various bands, and if nu-rave is the future, I wouldn't mind rockin' out to it.

Mah 3 Songs

The Everly Brothers - Bye Bye Love:
Pretty neat little song. Pretty catchy. At the beginning of the song it sounded like something more modern was going to come out, but then it kinda turned and went south. One thing that is different is that the vocals just sound not brassy or anything like the other stuff I have heard with this stuff. Sounds like something I would typically listen to.


The Youngbloods - Let's Get Together:
This piece actually feels more like a poem than a song, but it still provides a harmonious tune thats an easy listener. The chorus really says it all,
"C'mon people now,
Smile on your brother
Ev'rybody get together
Try and love one another right now"
Great song that provides an uplifting message. Something that is kinda nice to hear every once in a while.


Sly and the Family Stone - I Want To Take You Higher:
Why this song intrigued me was because of its very different sound compared to so many of the other songs I heard on the list. What really made it different was its funk feel. Rather than guitar drums and a bass, it incorporated other instruments like the trumpet, the keyboard, and the harmonica. Kinda interesting how they have various solos between the guitar, harmonica, bass and trumpet. Makes the song kinda longer, but because of its sustaining beat, it all works out. Great vocals as well. However, it does get pretty repetitive. Not much of a vocal song as it is more an instrumental song. It also lacks a real ending to bring down the power. Maybe it was planned that way.

Song of Solomon Blog Response Dos

Well well well, back again, aren't ya?

So lets get on with it. My book is Song of Solomon and currently I have read up to page 217, so I am a little behind. Don't worry though, I'll catch up. Some things I like about the book are the difference in characters, the setting of time, the way the author uses racial discrimination towards the plot line, and the amount of crazies in the book. All these things and more is what makes the book so enjoyable and at some times hard to put down. Also some things that are developing seem to be: Porter and Corinthians having a relationship (a pretty serious one), Milkman and his search for gold, and Guitar and his seven days club thing.
So in the pages I actually read last night, we found that Circe is still alive. But shes friggen OLD man! Dude, I really don't understand how she can be that old when she was alive for so long. Why is she still alive? Is it some force that we don't even understand? (cue twilight zone music)
So one quote that really stuck me was when Guitar was talking about the Seven Days. He starts talking about this ratio and that we have to keep it the same and it kind of freaked me out. Its on page 155, and starts, "You? You're going to kill people?" "Not people. White people." "But why?" "I just told you. It's necessary; it's got to be done. To keep the ratio the same." I mean, yes I understand that people in the south were killing black people, but that shouldn't be handled through means of violence. That means you are no different than those that killed before you.

Song Of Solomon & 1337l\l355

So my book is Song of Solomon and were right now almost at the middle of the book. Its easy to figure that one out since there is a part I and part II of the book. Anyways, the book is really fun. It has a bunch of twists and turns and it just wraps you up into it. I was reading Savannah's blog and I kinda feel the same way that sometimes it gets hard to put it down. Kind of like how television does those little teasers. They are quite annoying actually.
I actually like how the book is quite in the historical time that the author puts it into. What with segregation and lynching and racism. These also really apply themselves to the overall plot of the book.
I have found that the book is very descriptive. You can easily picture the scenes and follow the story very well. Its like watching a good movie, just better.
What the author also does is use the sort of uneducated black accents that were used in those days. Sometimes it confuses me, but you can certainly tell the difference when an educated person talks rather than an uneducated person.
So far, my literature circle seems to be grasping the book quite well, so it hasn't appeared to confusing. A lot of our conversations though do include lots of questions about the book, so maybe there are some foggy parts that people can't really figure out. I've had my fair share as well. A good example is Hagar. What is with her? Seriously, she has some major issues.
Overall, I have really enjoyed this book and am really excited to read it. Thanks Spence.

Turbidity (again)

More sources on turbidity!

http://bcn.boulder.co.us/basin/data/BACT/info/Turb.html
Explains the sources of murky water/how it happens. Also explains a lot about how to measure turbidity as well.

http://www.omega.com/techref/ph-6.html
An article that explains turbidity and how it is measured. Also explains turbidity in more scientific terms.

http://www.water.ncsu.edu/watershedss/info/turbid.html
Yay more turbidity! Oh, and some sources and other stuff. It seems like a lot of the sites are repeating themselves so yeah.

Colloid!

Well, I found a website that explains colloid!

What it refers to is one substance suspended in another, kinda like how the erosion from rocks and stuff gets suspended in lakes and cause fish to die. It all is coming together...

http://www.mpikg.mpg.de/kc/what_is_a_colloid

T-T-Turbidity!

Ok, so here is my first resource for our water project. The prompt of it is:
What is meant by the term "turbidity?" Define "colloid" and explain how it relates to turbidity. Include reasons why turbidity is included in water quality testing. Be specific on what particles contribute to turbidity.

The idea of turbidity, as explained in this website (http://waterontheweb.org/under/waterquality/turbidity.html) is that turbidity basically means how clear the water is. The more Total Suspended Solid, the more turbidity and the murkier the water. What makes the water murky can be a multitude of things, from phytoplankton, to different forms of erosion. More turbidity causes less fertility rates and more stress on fish. If the turbidity of the water gets bad enough, it can even cause deaths. Great website, and don't worry, it has a lot more than I just simply explained!

All righty, off to more homework shtuff.