Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles

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by: Sebino Sobretti (United States)
on: Tuesday, 19-October-2010

Its really a shame this kind of bands dont recieve enough attention with all the commercial crap flooding us, but time will make them legends, Its just one of the best records I ever hear in the last 5 years.

by: Sebino Sobretti (United States)
on: Tuesday, 19-October-2010

Its really a shame this kind of bands dont recieve enough attention with all the commercial crap flooding us, but time will make them legends, Its just one of the best records I ever hear in the last 5 years.

by: Kerry Garrett (Winston-Salem, NC)
on: Tuesday, 31-August-2010

I was very excited when I saw the Crystal Castles made a second record. I listened to it several times and it seemed like a good second effort. After a few listens I found myself skipping songs and and basically loosing interest. I went back and listened to the first album again and figured out what was missing. This new album is much bigger and complex than the first album. I enjoyed the minimalism of the first album and that is present in some of the second album but on the whole the mood is bigger and louder and more distorted on CC2. I understand what they are trying to do but the new stuff just doesnt grab me like the first record did.
If you are a Crystal Castles fan I say you must buy this record. If you havent heard the first record yet, then buy it along with this record and listen to it first.

by: R. Kulback (United States)
on: Monday, 9-August-2010

2010 has had some solid indie releases already. Plenty of bands are proving that to find the best music, you have to do a little digging. Crystal Castles do just that. For a band who released a very popular (by underground standards) debut writing a solid follow up can be a tricky thing. Expectations can be crushing. Crystal Castles will no doubt cast off any sophmore slump talk with this new CD though. Basically the band wrote a CD that was true to themselves while being progressive. You know this is Crystal Castles, you just dont know where it is going all the time.

Standout Track (there are lots):

Empathy

I would pay $10 for this song. Great, great song.

by: pen name (United States)
on: Monday, 12-July-2010

I have been a fan of ethan kath / ethan deth since the kill cheerleader release. The way his songs are composed can be appreciated by anyone, even if they dont know why they are appreciating it.
This CD will not let you down at all. The 8 bit sounds have pretty much passed on this one, but after listening to the album you dont really miss it. This just sounds like the next level. It just sounds new. GET IT FOR SURE and you will be happy

by: Jason Harrington (www.myspace.com/mad_trucker)
on: Thursday, 8-July-2010

This is not a bad album, lets get that strait before I continue, however, I purchased it at the same time as the latest Ladytron and also Sleigh Bells. All of these albums are pretty descent, but none of them fully live up to the hype of my expectations.

Crystal Castles have opted to take the opposite direction of MGMT, in how to approach a follow-up record. Whereas MGMT rebelled against their popular sucess, by pursueing the least popular side of their two basic styles, Crystal Castles opted for the more popular side of their sound. In the first CC album, they had an 8-bit punk side wed to a more sophisticated house-beat-with-vocoder sound (IE: Air, Blackmoth Super Rainbow, etc.). As far as I am concerned there is not a drop of punk aesthetic in this new release. This release is the sort of slick over-produced affair that is sure to land CC on many hipster DJ mixtapes across the post-rave universe, but at the cost of loosing their fringe fanbase of glitch/noise/circuit-bent/8-bit heads.

I am sure this was a small social price to pay, for a paycheck that will surely add up to the equivalent of a lottery win. However, if their plan is to return to the noisier side of things on their 3rd release, they may encounter problems, due to the fact that they are now indebted to Motown for taking a chance on a group who are know for raising hell. Maybe Universal/Motown are hoping they will pull some Lindsay Lohan drama and score them some headlines. I doubt this. Considering that Ladytron contributed to the new Cristia Aguilera album, we are more likely to find CC producing for Lohan instead, or perhaps more suitably: Lady Gaga.

It just seems like this new CC sound, although a part of their old sound, is terribly sterile and safe by comparison to the bombast of their debut. The rave reviews dont surprise me either, because the album spends a lot of time on mass appeal, and very little time on artistic self-expression. However, it is a good album. I am just a critic who would prefer it was as mind numbing as the other critics describe. There is a lot of hipster sudo-dance stuff that critics love and I dont, such as LCD Soundsystem, Battles, but it just seems like I should have bought Justice or Blackmoth instead.

I sincerely hope the subtle approach CC take on this release will grow on me, because its not an instant gratification so far. Im shocked that it doesnt blow away the last Ladytron album. In fact they meld almost seamlessly in our car CD changer. The best thing about both albums is their lack of mis-steps. By comparison, Sleigh Bells and Jaguar Love take an abundance of risks in their forward-thinking sounds, but both groups are riddled with awkward missteps and songs that never stand up strait and deliver.

Choose your poison.

by: KJL Taicho (the heart of the world)
on: Thursday, 8-July-2010

I love the whole frigging CD. Especially the tracks Celestica and Year of Silence.


Just takes your soul on a journey through the normal Crystal Castles style. ;) MY favorite band and new favorite cd.

by: Andy (Nashua, NH USA)
on: Sunday, 13-June-2010

The first track on Crystal Castles 2nd self-titled CD may be the perfect metaphor for the entire album. Fainting Spells starts as a cacophonous, screechy wall of noise, so immediately off-putting, youll be tempted at first listen to yank the disc from your player and throw it, frisbee-style, at your local record store hipsters horn-rimmed spectacle covered eyes. However, if youre patient, within minutes, a slick hip hop groove within the song rises to the surface appearing only long enough for you to wrap your head around, and make sense of the noise before the song closes up around itself.

The rest of Crystal Castles (II) see-saws between catchier dancey songs and much more abrasive numbers. Regardless, Alice Glass cryptic poetry echoes throughout, and repeated listens reveal a darkly subversive work which lets the adventurous listener into CCs strange and beautiful world of sound.

by: Beatriz Barajas (United States)
on: Wednesday, 9-June-2010

While the album is not the accidental masterpiece that their previous album was it is definitely a nice piece of painted plastic. it is poetic and frenetic and magnificently magnetic. My one reservation is not a bad one either, i feel that this album is more of a step sideways than a step forward but the greatest artists of the past era have made names on formulas. i feel they have started to etch the same thing for themselves. i look forward to more of this.
-Acey Riot

by: Justin D. Clay (Tempe, AZ)
on: Tuesday, 8-June-2010

Great album, but not as easy to listen to as the first one.
The atari/video game sound and feel of the fisrt album isnt really the sound anymore. While missed, this isnt really a bad thing.
Where the first one seems to repeat itself, CCII is much more versitle.
While I find a about a handful of tracks I could completely do with out here, there are some I would absolutely recommend to the highest.
Such as:

-Baptism
-Year of Silence (an amazing Sigur Ros Remix)
-Empathy
-Pap Smear
-Intimate

Simply put theres a much broader spectrum on this album vs their last album which kept a steady pace, sound, and beat throughout most tracks.
The new sounds are great (in between the noise) and it may be a while before the cd leaves my car stereo.

by: Jeff Loudon (Nashville, TN)
on: Wednesday, 2-June-2010

Crystal Castles took video game tonality to a whole new level with their self-titled debut. Simple melodies electronically spelled out in front of brilliantly executed club beats were all the convincing critics needed for stellar reviews. Although Crystal Castles was embraced exponentially more in Europe, they rode the coat tails of bands like Daft Punk and Justice into American clubs.

With their second self-titled album, Crystal Castles have maintained a great deal of that 8-bit Atari sound while expanding and evolving into something much more. It is possible fans may find their new samples a bit less endearing with decreased nostalgia for sounds of their childhood, but the duo made up of Ethan Kath and Alice Glass certainly have some tricks up their sleeves that are worth giving a chance.

Crystal Castles opens with Fainting Spells, a sort of nod to the duos previous work, relies on a great deal of classic samples while discernable lyrics remain absent. As soon as Celestica begins, however, it is clear Crystal Castles have opted for change. Low bit samples are replaced with shimmering synthesizers that float above Alice Glass vocals. Rather than continuing this relaxed club feel into the body of the record, Doe Deer provides Crystal Castles with a chaotic twist on the very next track.

One of the shining moments of the sophomore album comes from a techno cover of Sigur Ros Year of Silence. With music that nearly defines the opposite of Sigur Ros musical style, Jonsis vocals blend perfectly with the rhythmic style Crystal Castles has created.

With their second self-titled album, there is certainly plenty of creativity full of sounds never heard before in popular music. By the time I am Made of Chalk closes the album, Crystal Castles have set themselves apart from the other electronic artists making names for themselves today. Crystal Castles will doubtfully become a household name anytime soon, but anyone capable of opening their minds to a bit of the obscure will be greatly rewarded with this record.

Similar Artists: Metric, Justice

Track Suggestion: Celestica

by: Beautiful Thing (United States)
on: Monday, 31-May-2010

I listened to this cd while I worked on some poetry and let me just say this album is amazing! Crystal Castles has their own unique sound, thats what makes them stand out from other bands and thats what made me like them. Baptism and Empathy are my favorite songs but all songs are good! I enjoyed this album more than the first one. Crystal Castles has grown and it shows. I highly recommend it.

by: Brian Lange (Chicago, IL)
on: Tuesday, 4-May-2010

As underground as CC was for the first album (I only heard about them when I discovered they were opening for NIN for some shows) I think their debut album was amazing, and was surprised they werent more popular than they were. I suppose in the Techno/Rave scene they are relatively well known but they definitely deserve more credit than theyve been getting.

Though most of it are repetitive drums and catchy loops, its arranged masterfully. Their sophomore effort manages to exceed my expectations by far. This album feels more focused, more thought out, less experimentation and more intent. Its also more melodic than their debut. Lots of tracks are somewhat similar, but the lyrics are more focused and Incorporated into the songs more seamlessly.

I gave their first record a perfect score almost exactly two years ago, also proclaiming it record of the year. Though this is new and exciting material from Ethan & Alice, I like it a lot. Its hard to choose a favorite between the two, but at the moment the new album is doing the trick.

Kudos, my friends. Kudos!

by: Justin (St. Louis)
on: Monday, 26-April-2010

For some reason, I wasnt expecting such a good album. Maybe because there was no hype leading up to its sudden release. But this album is SOLID, the band has expanded its sound, using more techniques and some great melodies. If you like bands like Passion Pit, Yeasayer, Hot Chip, then give this album a listen - you wont be disappointed.

by: James F. Phillips (United States)
on: Sunday, 25-April-2010

This album is great! I didnt think that they could do better then the first but they have. This album is much more like an album then the first one. The songs are much more polished. Its definitely worth the money.