Review: Crystal Castles - (III)

Crystal Castles
(III)
Rating: Woof Daddy

After their abrasive debut album, I really pondered where Crystal Castles could go with their sound as they seemed to have boxed themselves into a corner. With their second album, not much really changed, however, there seemed to be a better flow and mix to the their tracks when generally follow a "pretty" and "harsh" pattern. With (III), again, there is not a change up in sound so much as a change in focus, leaning more towards "pretty" and almost completely forsaking "harsh." For some, this lack of a push and pull over the course of the record might seem to be heresy, but for me, this clarity, if you will, adds a much needed element that has always seemed to be lacking. Here, the tracks flow into and out of one another seamlessly, without the crazy juxtapositions of earlier releases. Where the music is more streamlined and trance-like, the unsettling vision of the lyrical themes is where the contrasts are now focused. And with Ethan Kath holding production duties, he almost renders Alice Glass' vocals inhuman, twisted and manipulating them beyond recognition for the most part, only letting slight glimpses throughout the fog of electronics.

On first single "Plague," the music and Glass' vocals build from muted beginnings into something scary, with lyrics blurring the line between disease and social ills; "Infants in infantry/Rewrite their history/Uproot their colony/You're ripe for harvesting."



On electro-banger "Kerosene," Glass' vocals are almost unrecognizable, mutitracked to death, each line fighting over the next. The lyrics a recounting of childhood horrors, with Glass seeking to provide solace, cooing "I’ll protect you from/All the things I've seen."



There is a softness and tenderness in the music to a lot of tracks that is comes as the biggest surprise on (III). Closing track "Child I Will Hurt You" is an almost lullaby, with twinkling synths married to Glass' gorgeous vocals.



"Affection" buries Glass' vocals in murky effects while the keyboards swoon and swoop over witch-house drum programming.



But there will always be that side to Crystal Castles that enjoys making things ugly and confrontational. From the acidic, brutal industrial clatter of "Insulin,"



to the fractured hip-hop inspired "Pale Flesh" with some seriously antagonistic vocals from Glass,



The album of course soars when there is a meeting between the two styles. "Mercenary" glides along a haunting synth riff and goth tone while Glass' voice floats on top,



"Wrath of God" is positively charming with glittering synths that devolve into a muddy, barked vocal from Glass,



while "Sad Eyes" is a pounding four to the floor banger that merges the pounding beats with Glass' breathy vocals.



While some will feel that (III) is not much of a departure or change for Crystal Castles, and it is a valid point, their sound and aesthetic just doesn't call for extreme changes in direction. They have kept to their vision, while playing around with the conventions they have set up. (III) is by far their most coherent and satisfying album so far, and also one of the best records of the year.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.