Album Review

Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles (II)

• 16th May 2010

After two years without a release, experimental electro cult duo Crystal Castles have finally made a comeback with their second self-titled album Crystal Castles II. The album has been fawned with anticipation from both fans and critics alike see’s Alice Glass and Ethan Kath produce a more coherent and consistent album than their debut.

However with saying that, this record still delivers the frantic, chaotic sounds that listeners have come to expect alongside the synth riffs that the Canadian festival favourites are famed for. The album launches the listener right back into the mindset where the band’s first offering had previously left them off, into the somewhat dark but addictive world of Crystal Castles. The opening track ‘Fainting Spells’ begins with a screeching, ear piercing sound that would test anyone’s ear drums and leave the more uneducated Crystal Castles fans wondering if there is a scratching on the track or something..

A much more melodic, enchanting and easy to listen to track follows. ‘Celestica’ shows how far Alice and Ethan have come in the past two years. The song will leave fans appreciating the growth of the band while still applauding them for maintaining the level of audible escapism that hardcore fans have always thought Crystal Castles were capable of.

With the track ‘Doe Deer’ only lasting a little over one and a half minutes; it showcases the range that Alice’s voice can reach with the expected screams compared to the laid back harmonies ever present in Celestica. It has to be said that Alice’s voice has overcome barriers and reached new heights that had not been seen on the bands first album.

Also, it’s worth stating that her musical partner in crime, Ethan Kath, has grown as a producer over the previous two years and has taken note of the production techniques of some of Crystal Castles’ peer groups. It now seems Kath is not afraid of and knows when to slow things down and be easy on the ear while also knowing when to appeal to the chaotic side of his listeners. The record bears the talent of being so polished that slow beats and fast, quirky and rugged sound can work well together to create a whole new level of listening. The production of the album is an improvement on the bands first LP which seemed to often be seen as a little bit ‘all over the place’.

Arguably the best track of the album comes in the form of ‘Baptism’, which has been doing the rounds on the internet as an underproduced demo but the album version is polished and uncontrollably superior. This song in many ways is the definitive track of the album and is to the album what ‘Crimewave’ was to the bands debut release. A successor to ‘Crimewave’, ‘Baptism’ is the essence of what Crystal Castles are all about and fans will definitely not be let down by the four minutes of mind blowing beats and vocals that the track delivers. This is one that will undoubtedly be played again and again.

Other tracks such as ‘Pap Smear’, ‘Not In Love’, ‘Empathy’ and most notably ‘Intimate’ are sure to wow fans and leave CC’s worst critics scratching their heads and possibly rethinking their conceptions about the electronica duo. ‘Violent Dreams’ also looks set to send fans into synth heaven with a four chord progression for the majority of the track working surprisingly well.

Frantic, mellow and of course chaotic at times, ‘Crystal Castles’ is a follow up album which is sure to change some peoples minds about the band who have had music fans from all over the world torn since 2008. The album contains consistency, class and style which Crystal Castles need in order to solidify their place as masters of their genre and not just electro glitch-punk scenesters. Luckily for Alice and Ethan, this album is overflowing with these qualities and then some.

The band will most certainly leave an impression on Irish fans yet again this year when they play the Electric Picnic festival in September. Their set at last yea’rs Oxegen was stand-out and left the crowd enticed and begging for more, not to mention left them a little bit sweaty, which has been come to expect at their high-energy shows.
The band have also just announced a gig at the Academy at the end of October, tickets for which are on sale now.

Overall, not bad for an album recorded in an Icelandic church, a Canadian cabin, and a Detroit garage.