Review Summary: Crystal Castles eponymous debut is enjoyable, nostalgic, and stimulating with plenty of thrills waiting to be released.
We all remember the joy of visiting the arcade as children. Our parents would fish for five or six quarters from their pockets and let us play whatever games we wanted. Pac-Man, Frogger, Asteroids... the possibilities were endless. Today, many people still hold dear memories of old-fashioned video games and the endless hours of entertainment they provided. On their debut eponymous LP, Crystal Castles recapture those fond memories and add their own spin to the bombastic sounds of the digital world. Ethan Kath and Alice Glass both show a commitment to revitalizing these pixelated kingdoms while leading the charge of an impetuous dance party.
Crystal Castles are relentless in their use of the nostalgic sounds of Atari and other retrospective video game systems. Their beats are garnished with all sorts of beeps and tones that call to mind colorfully flashing high scores, digitized explosions, and tiresome boss battles. This copious imagery becomes impossible to ignore, though every song delivers a different degree of intensity. The duo shoot for a consistent rush of glossy production, radiant effects, and casual beats. Crystal Castles wind up portraying themselves as the young heroes at the arcade who shatter the high scores as everyone crowds around to watch. Furthermore, the album itself is very nicely constructed with plenty of catchy rhythms and extremely bright outbursts of chaotic proportions.
When it comes to building momentum,
Crystal Castles excels by taking advantage of perpetual cascades of energy that accelerate at a constant rate. While they seem to lose their sense of purpose at certain points, the music they generate sounds like a breath of fresh air for electronica. Most importantly, many of the songs the album hosts are extremely catchy and fun to sink one's teeth into. The luster of "Good Time" and the excitement of "Courtship Dating" alone are enough to get just about anyone's head bobbing. In addition, there's an interesting contrast at play between the more crowded songs like "XXZXCUZX Me" and "Alice Practice" where the effects break free and are disseminated without moderation and the naked, bare songs like "Reckless" and "Magic Spells", which are very tame. The stuffed and restless tracks present more vigor, while the more laid-back ones unfortunately don't pack much of a punch aside from the decent beats.
Still, Crystal Castles offer many distinct elements that keep the ball rolling. On top of the shiny, cartoonish resonance of the LP, Alice Glass's singing brings a bubbly temperament to the music. Not only does her voice carry a punk-influenced attitude, but it's also used somewhat sparingly so as not to threaten its charm. On "Air War", for instance, she steps aside to allow the chatter of young, ebullient children to consume the backdrop. Along with its shiny computer sounds and its rugged beat, the song is easily one of the most engaging. Crystal Castles do a good job of tying the songs together, and while these bindings are often reinforced to the point of redundancy, they never show signs of exhaustion or apathy.
However, the album does run a bit long, and after a dazzling first half, it loses traction during its second half. By this point, the overarching sound of the LP is quite familiar, and Crystal Castles recycle many sounds from the first half, slightly diluting the impact of some of the later tracks. Nevertheless, "Black Panther" still manages to deliver a very noteworthy beat and "Tell Me What to Swallow" provides a bona fide curveball as the duo delves into their own brand of shoegazing. Hauling plenty of material and fresh ideas, this album has a lot to offer, and its nicely polished glaze and restive posture proves enticing.
Crystal Castles' self-titled debut provides a recreational attraction and non-stop digital turmoil. Kath and Glass channel their considerable energy into something electrifying with their extroverted nature. From the stuttering noises that briskly erupt from the most unexpected places to the dance-inducing patterns that the duo triggers, this album is certainly a worthwhile and diverting one.
Favorite Tracks:
Air War
Good Time
Courtship Dating
Black Panther
XXZXCUZX Me
