I know that I'm a bit late on this one but the fact is that, 6 months after its release, it does sound better than ever. Authors of a sound that gives new meanings to the word "electro", Crystal Castles are Ethan Kath and Alice Glass, and their approach is somewhere between over the top energy and minimal raw-dirty atmospheres, filling their dry mechanical beats with anthemic hooks and infectious samples, while adding looped distorted female vocals on top and an extra dose of claustrophobia and paranoia. Truth to be told, the reputation of this Toronto duo has preceded them long before their debut album release, with shit-hot remixes for the likes of Liars, Bloc Party, The Whip or Klaxons (their take on "Atlantis To Interzone" has pretty much defined the nu-rave generation) or inclusions in hip and trendy compilations like the Kitsuné Maison series. But with all the hype around them, it's still not easy to exactly describe what they do. Reviewing their appearance at the Underage Festival in England, DIS used these words, which I think go pretty close to accurately describing the whole thing: "ferocious, asphyxiating sheets of warped two-dimensional Gameboy glitches and bruising drum bombast pierce [the] skull with sheer shrill force, burrowing deep into the brain like a fever". So, now you see why their live shows have earned the reputation of apocalyptic celebrations. One last thought: any band that has the balls to use a graphic image of a black-eyed Madonna on their merchandise (later removed due to copyright disputes) has to have my thumbs up. (9/10)
Crystal Castles - Courtship Dating (video)
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bjs.
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