- Untrust Us
- Alice Practice
- Crimewave (Crystal Castles VS Health)
- Magic Spells
- Xxzxcuzx Me
- Air War
- Courtship Dating
- Good Time
- 1991
- Vanished
- Knights
- Love And Caring
- Through The Hosiery
- Reckless
- Black Panther
- Tell Me What To Swallow
HEY GUYS I JUST DISCOVERED THIS REALLY COOL BAND CALLED CRYSTAL CASTLES oh wait what.
Joking about the hilarious belatedness of this review aside, this album took a while to grow on me, but I like it more every time I listen to it. For all the hype and controversy that's surrounded them, they've produced a damn good record.
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Although Crystal Castles have tended to distance themselves from the chiptune scene in interviews, there's no denying that their sound recalls those classic Atari/Nintendo/Sega blips and bleeps. 'Untrust Us' sounds like an epic journey across an 8-bit landscape, narrated in infectious gibberish - complete with an incongruous 2-second guitar thrash at the end to throw off inattentive DJs. Elsewhere, 'Courtship Dating' features menacing synths that sound like the haunted house level from your favourite 80's video game, while Alice threatens to "Make you cry tears of pain" like some sort of sadistic cheerleader - 'Through The Hosiery' thinks along similar lines, with Alice's echoy vocals questioning "How does it feel when you can't feel nothing?". Appropriately enough, '1991' and 'Reckless' would slot neatly into the soundtrack of many a Mega Drive game (I'm thinking Streets Of Rage in particular).
Of course, the band are renowned for their incendiary live shows, which is where their vicious streak comes into play. After the soothing intro of 'Untrust Us', 'Alice Practice' is a shock to the system, an abrasive mix of distorted yelps, thumping beats and malfunctioning Gameboy sounds, while 'Xxzxcuzx Me' sees Alice screaming garbled death threats over the sound of an arcade machine having an epileptic fit. Also fitting into this category is the controversial 'Love And Caring', with its drumbeats apparently stolen from a chiptune artist named Covox - regardless, it's another assault on the senses that once again sees Alice shrieking viciously.
Of course, the band are renowned for their incendiary live shows, which is where their vicious streak comes into play. After the soothing intro of 'Untrust Us', 'Alice Practice' is a shock to the system, an abrasive mix of distorted yelps, thumping beats and malfunctioning Gameboy sounds, while 'Xxzxcuzx Me' sees Alice screaming garbled death threats over the sound of an arcade machine having an epileptic fit. Also fitting into this category is the controversial 'Love And Caring', with its drumbeats apparently stolen from a chiptune artist named Covox - regardless, it's another assault on the senses that once again sees Alice shrieking viciously.
The band do, however, make more relaxed sounds too: 'Magic Spells' is 6 minutes of spaced-out, 8-bit chillout, 'Air War' burbles along pleasantly with Alice's vocals distorted in an almost babyish manner, and 'Good Time' almost makes the synths sound... happy?
Crystal Castles have also gained a reputation as remixers, and their version of 'Crimewave' appears on the record, masterfully transforming the raw intensity of labelmates Health into a glassy-eyed stare before spiraling off into the pounding drumbeats of the original. Elsewhere, 'Vanished' samples the vocals Van She's 'Sex City', layering them over cold, lonely sounding synths to sublime effect. It's the closest they come to a standard dance track - albeit one that sounds like Pong being played in an echo chamber, and one that's light years ahead of your average Saturday night floor-filler.
Crystal Castles have also gained a reputation as remixers, and their version of 'Crimewave' appears on the record, masterfully transforming the raw intensity of labelmates Health into a glassy-eyed stare before spiraling off into the pounding drumbeats of the original. Elsewhere, 'Vanished' samples the vocals Van She's 'Sex City', layering them over cold, lonely sounding synths to sublime effect. It's the closest they come to a standard dance track - albeit one that sounds like Pong being played in an echo chamber, and one that's light years ahead of your average Saturday night floor-filler.
The album ends strongly, with some of the best tracks saved until last: 'Black Panther' takes us on a heady rush through a twilit cityscape, like the soundtrack to some lonely, desperate attempt to escape from... something. Finally, 'Tell Me What To Swallow' eschews the synths that permeate the rest of the record entirely, consisting of Alice singing a creepy, ethereal lullaby over a fragile acoustic guitar strum. It's an indication that the band don't want to be put in an Atari-shaped box, and in my opinion it's also one of the best tracks on the album.
The genius of Crystal Castles is how they somehow conjure up emotion from the most artificial of sounds. The vocals lend a human edge to the even the coldest of computerised beats, but at their best ('Untrust Us', 'Vanished', 'Black Panther') the blips and bleeps take on a life of their own. Sure, as an album it's perhaps a little overloaded - it could be a couple of tracks shorter and few would bat an eyelid, and the more abrasive moments can begin to grate after a while. But that shouldn't put a downer on the high points, so just pick and choose your favourite moments and leave it at that: The band are probably already in search of new ways to make unexpectedly emotional noise, so where they go from here is anyone's guess.
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