Crystal Castles will dance their way into your hearts
After two years of hype, the Toronto duo finally release their full length album. And the wait was well worth it
By Sean MacKay, Staff Writer
Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: Film & Music
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The band piqued the interest of several record labels in a rather unusual way; in fact the story has become somewhat legendary. Vocalist Alice Glass and multi-instrumentalist Ethan Kath booked some studio time in spring 2005 to record a demo, and they posted one of the tracks online for their friends to hear. It was a practice take that basically consisted of Alice testing her microphone levels over a loop that Ethan was playing on a keyboard. Based solely on the quality of that song - which was never meant to be an official "song" at all - they were offered contracts with three different record companies, eventually signing with Merok Records in 2006. Wave after wave of internet buzz ensued.
That was two years ago. By now, you may have already endured a complete auditory assault while dancing your brains out at one of their shows, or maybe you've at least been subjected to one of their mind-bending remixes of Bloc Party, Klaxons and Uffie tracks currently circulating the web. After an intense tour schedule, their debut album is finally seeing the light of day. But the classic question remains: Can Crystal Castles live up to the hype?
Immediate comparisons to similarly-minded indie electronic groups such as The Knife and Hot Chip are inevitable, but Kath and Glass bring enough fresh ideas to the table that allow this record to stand out (or, more accurately, "explode out") from the pack. Ethan Kath dishes out more digital noise than most ears can handle, but just when you think you've reached your limit, he completely switches styles and you're dancing uncontrollably to what only could be described as a futuristic arcade game soundtrack with a bumpin' beat. It all seems a bit ridiculous on paper, but Crystal Castles have managed to create a genuinely unique and impressive listening experience.
Glass takes on centre stage, handling the majority of the vocal duties on the album, but her voice is such a versatile instrument that you'd be inclined to think it's at least three different singers - and not all of them human. A vocal chameleon who never settles on a specific sound, her voice is soothing and melodic at one moment, terrifying and robotic the next. On the otherworldly album opener "Untrust Us," she sounds as if she's an alien singing in an incomprehensible language; nonetheless, you can't help but become entranced by the bizarre beauty of it all.
The rest of the album is similarly captivating from start to finish, and Glass' versatile voice serves as a good metaphor for the overall effect on the listener - you just never know what they're going to try next, and you'll be surprised every time. This is such a rare quality in music today, and is ultimately what makes the album so addictive. The noisy, energetic synth punk of "Alice Practice" and "Xxzcuzx Me" finds the band nearly exploding at the seams, but they immediately counter this assault with the perfect, dance floor-ready "Vanished" and the joyous party track, "Knights". "Tell Me What To Swallow" brings the album to a chilling conclusion with a simple acoustic arrangement and a haunting yet strangely beautiful vocal performance by Glass.
If you look for a little more substance in the music you shake their hips to, Crystal Castles have written the perfect soundtrack to your Friday night. The band performs at Circa on March 28th, so be sure to check them out.
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