If you're unfamiliar with Klaxons, I wouldn't suggest this as an initial experience. While the good parts of their sound are evident in this early release, the work that Polydor did with them in the studio for their first full album obviously paid off. So if you're new, check out the album 'Myths of the Near Future,' which came out in January. All of the songs are much tighter and more palatable. Barring that, you'd do well to check out the first two tracks on this CD (Gravity's Rainbox and Atlantis to Interzone) or search for videos on YouTube to get a better idea of their current direction.

However, if you're a fan already and, like myself, are wringing your hands and wanting more, you'll find a snippet or two of goodness here to help hold you over until the next album. Unfortunately, the remixes don't bring much to the mix (no pun intended), and you'll probably just find yourself lusting for the more polished sound of Myths. Be that as it may, it's Klaxons - and for that I'm willing to forgive the muddy bass and tiring loops.

All in all, not a great standalone album for the new fan, but the world can always use more Klaxons.

British music gets worse every month. I don't know how they keep the downward slide going, but they do. You'd think at some point the UK divisions of the major labels just wouldn't be able to find any bands in their country that were worse than the ones they'd already signed, the lameness would plateau, but they manage to keep finding worse and worse bands. Even if I tried to write the worst music I possibly could I couldn't write music that would be as offensive to my ears as this band. They make Swans, Whitehouse, Shellac and Nickelback seem like amateurs at the art of being unlistenable.