View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 4.0 (643 ratings)
- Date Released: March 15, 2008
- Genre: Electronic
- Label: Last Gang Records
-
We Say...
Toronto-based Crystal Castles have been saddled with a slew of 21st century microgenre tags (see: nu-rave, chiptune), none of which properly capture the brilliantly damaged pop of their debut self-titled full length. Setting the basic sonic table with 8-bit synths and pounding drum machine, producer and multi-instrumentalist Ethan Kath glitches, tweaks and bumps the tracks into twitchy dance anthems. Singer Alice Glass lets loose; shrieks dip into monotone hums even as the vocals get cut up, modulated, doubled and generally fucked with. Truly ADD-addled, the buzzy tunes on Crystal Castles refuse to sit still: this is how 0s and 1s bump n' grind.
-
They Say...
No matter how much Crystal Castles insist they're named after She-Ra's fortress and not the 1983 arcade favorite, thanks to the Atari sound chips in their keyboards, their music evokes vintage video game soundtracks -- albeit ones that have been folded, spindled, and mutilated almost past recognition. On their self-titled debut, Crystal Castles (aka Ethan Kath and Alice Glass) hurl eight-bit bleeps, bloops, and noise as relentlessly as Space Invaders marching down a screen, turning these sounds into sometimes chaotic, sometimes moody synth pop with a jagged edge. Though their low-res synths can't help but sound nostalgic (and song titles like "Air War" and "Reckless" sound like forgotten games), Crystal Castles are fresher, more complex, and much less gimmicky than might be expected, especially for those familiar with only the band's singles. Granted, those singles are still some of Crystal Castles' definitive tracks: the darkly, violently catchy "Alice Practice" pits Glass' serrated but melodic shout-singing against rippling, strafing, and strobing synth onslaughts, and "Crimewave" gives that sound a brooding groove. However, Crystal Castles go wider and deeper on the rest of the album, teetering between order and chaos, noise and melody, and energy and atmosphere in ways that are unpredictable but consistently interesting. Glass is a chameleon, terrifying on one track and kittenish on another. She's a black-eyed, short-circuiting android on "Xxzxcuzx Me," singing of "robotic love" as her voice degrades into pixels almost as soon as she opens her mouth, and a spaced-out valley girl bopping to "Good Time"'s deceptively cheery pulse. Indeed, a remarkable amount of melancholy haunts Crystal Castles, from the eerie keening on the Knife-like opening track, "Untrust Us," to the danceable gloom of "Vanished" and the wistful, almost serene "Magic Spells" -- all of which throw freakouts like the claustrophobic electro bump 'n' grind "Love and Caring" into even brasher contrast. By the time Crystal Castles wind down with "Tell Me What to Swallow"'s ethereal cooing and guitars, it's clear that Kath and Glass are already looking for more ways to expand on this familiar-sounding, edgy, innocent, menacing, bold, nuanced, and altogether striking debut.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 17 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 17 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
Untrust Us
|
3:06 |
|
| 02. | |
Alice Practice
|
2:41 |
|
| 03. | |
Crimewave
|
4:23 |
|
| 04. | |
Magic Spells
|
6:07 |
|
| 05. | |
xxzxcuzx me
|
1:54 |
|
| 06. | |
Air War
|
4:12 |
|
| 07. | |
Courtship Dating
|
3:30 |
|
| 08. | |
Good Time
|
2:55 |
|
| 09. | |
1991
|
1:53 |
|
| 10. | |
Vanished
|
4:03 |
|
| 11. | |
Knights
|
3:13 |
|
| 12. | |
Love And Caring
|
2:18 |
|
| 13. | |
Through The Hosiery
|
3:07 |
|
| 14. | |
Reckless
|
3:28 |
|
| 15. | |
Black Panther
|
2:56 |
|
| 16. | |
Tell Me What To Swallow
|
2:17 |
|
| 17. | |
Air War
|
3:29 |
|
17 Total Tracks, 55:32 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like Crystal Castles, check out these member playlists
Explore music recommended by Crystal Castles fans
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC