Crystal Castles are a duo rising in fame and with immense popularity. Following the release of their debut album in 2008, they come back to us again with more gritty and trashy electronica with their second self titled record. Their second album doesn't stray too much from their debut, but it's more accessible and even darker in places, fronted by the insanity and beautiful madness off Alice Glass and electronically controlled by Ethan Kath, Crystal Castles give us an interesting scope into their world with their second effort.
As we enter Crystal Castles second album, we're introduced to 'Fainting Spells' which starts out with Alice Glass screeching as if she's drowning and struggling for air, then in comes Kath's beats which equal Glass' screeching and further drowns her into a whirlpool of electronic noise. 'Fainting Spells' is just an indicator of where Crystal Castles left off on their debut album, but also at the same time marks a significant change as well, as we are then thrown into 'Celestica' which is the lead single of the album and is also a mesmerizing piece of music, Glass' vocals are clear but also bleak at the same time while the lyrics are suggesting someone who can't feel love and Kath's lo-fi synthesizers creates a very complex mood, which reinforces the idea of not being able to feel or even, fall in love.
After 'Celestica', 'Doe Deer' hits us out of no where and it's short, but industrial like sound echoes a similarity to the music on Nine Inch Nails' album 'The Fragile. As 'Doe Deer' comes to an end, another very mesmerizing track in the form of 'Baptism' opens itself up to us. Ethan Kath demonstrates many styles of music in this song, primarily electronica but also even forms of dance and rave music. However Glass' vocals don't feel out of place, as her riot grrrl roots haven't left her as she shouts and wails her heart out.
Further stand out tracks from the Castles second album would be 'Empathy' and 'Suffocation' which both highlight the change in their sound as they both demonstrate lighter synthetic sounds and provide more vocals, especially on 'Suffocation' where Glass' vocals are soft but chilling at the same time.
Songs towards the end of the album like 'Not In Love' and 'I Am Made Of Chalk' are dreary and very murky. The former being held by a steady drum beat which encompasses Kath's synth's and Glass' vocals which are tragic, but yet romantic at the same time. Perhaps one of the most stand out tracks from this varied album would be 'Intimate' and this song is taken to another level, simply by the fantastic work of Ethan Kath, who magically creates the most frostiest code displayed on their second effort as he paints an image off rain drops falling and freezing in mid-air as they fall. Now, going back to 'I Am Made Of Chalk' which misleads listeners into thinking that it's going to be a heavy electro glitch orgy, but instead, it does the opposite and chills out and goes back to the sound on 'Fainting Spells' with the eerie and drowning out effect of the vocals and Kath's messy yet effective synth work as the album then draws to a close.
Crystal Castles have managed to separate themselves from the 'New-Rave' scene and establish themselves as an 'individual' act. However, comparing both their debut album and their second, there is not a complete change, they've just done what they done on their debut, but simply better. More so, their second album shall give them more exposure and for all the right reasons, definitely one of the most important acts part of the electronic scene in the past ten years, if 'Celestica', 'Baptism', 'Not In Love' and 'Intimate' are not enough to convince you, then god knows what will.
4½ / 5
Linus Broadbent.
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