Klaxons

In an increasingly pressured, fiercely thought-out musical environment, Klaxons appear to cut an endearingly shambolic (and ridiculously dressed) figure: one minute banging out rave loops on their guitars, the next hurling around impenetrable Thomas Pynchon or Aleister Crowley references. That the behavior of their fans -- who turn up to gigs tricked out in brightly hued attire and brandishing glo-sticks -- has drawn as much attention as their recordings is charming. That music title NME grandly dubbed them the leaders of the "new rave" scene provides the final, hilarious accolade. Because if there's one thing that Klaxons are, with fine art graduate Simon Taylor-Davis and philosophy student Jamie Reynolds on board, it's acutely aware of how they're perceived. Roll that together with an avowed adherence to KLF media manipulators Jimmy Cauty and Bill Drummond's The Method: How to have a Number One the Easy Way, and suddenly their artistic venture makes a lot more sense. Which isn't to say that "Golden Skans", "Two Receivers" and "Atlantis to Interzone" aren't great tracks, more that if you take a step back from the music, the view's wonderful.