Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles

Artist: Crystal Castles
Album: Crystal Castles
Genre: Electronic
Rating: 3.5 of 5


The band name seems to have been borrowed from the 80s arcade for a good reason. The music on this self-titled debut has many flavours that are recognizable from the soundtracks for many of those old school games. Take those early midi songs and throw on some modern technology and you get an enjoyable album.

The use of effects on the vocal tracks was quite a nice addition in most cases. On tracks such as “Unstrust Us”, “Crimewave” and “Magic Spells” the vocal track is a very important part of the beat and makes for a very catchy beat. “Crimewave” is a prime example of the sound that is Crystal Castles. On top of the great use of the vocal track, it also has a great chorus. This short riff played by a synthesizer, reminiscent of some 90s dance, slowly fills in during the song. At first you need to listen for missing notes but by the end of the track the riff seems to have mutated into maturity. “Magic Spells” is the longest track on the album at just over 6 minutes. The ambiance is quite nice and the track manages to delve into some trance-esque movement. “Air War” shows some of their cosmic side and continues to bring in sounds that would have previously been found on arcades of old. Some more sinister beats, with low rolling charges, follow with songs like “Courtship Dating” and “Through the Hosiery”. The latter of which gives the impression of flying through an asteroid field. “Vanished” seems to have borrowed from AFI but again shows that great technique in building upon the chorus and filling in all the missing notes to keep things fresh. The album goes for 16 tracks and the finale includes “Black Panther”, an up tempo track, and the ethereal “Tell Me What to Swallow”.

For the most part the album makes for great listening except for a style which could have been left out. Three songs “Alice Practice”, “Xxzxcuzx Me” and “Love and Caring” assault you with screaming and aggressive synthesizers that have been fed through high gain effects. The album was long enough to leave out these songs and Crystal Castles would have been better off without them. This album is still a great listen and is a cross between the soundtracks from early arcade games, great electronica and the Go Team.