Since their 2003 conception, Canadian punk death glitch duo Crystal Castles has released three seven-inches (one of which sold out in three days) and a number of remixes, all consistent in their onslaught of spastic Atari synth and chug-a-chug dance punk beats. Many of these rarities have now made the cut onto their self-titled debut full-length. On first listen, it’s apparent that some songs, such as “Alice Practice” (literally vocalist Alice Glass practicing on the band’s new mics set to music), “Air War”, and “Crimewave (Crystal Castles vs HEALTH),” have been tweaked, leading to a more polished sound. However, Crystal Castles’ aesthetic lends itself to snotty, abrasive electronic music and some of the original rough cuts sound better. Compared to other, ultra-fancy dance punks, CC still maintains the distorted, electronic badassery that keeps “dance punk” a functional moniker, denoting equal parts dance and punk. The songs are for the most part short, violent bursts of dance cacophony. This formula works especially well on “xxzxcuzx me” and its fraternal twin “Love and Caring,” where Glass’ layered vocals are that of an ancient, desperate smoker and multi-instrumentalist Ethin Kath builds piles of murderous texture. Even the instrumental tracks “1983”, “Courtship Dating,” and opener “Untrust Us,” could provoke movement in the most stoic of listeners. Kath gives more affected, arty electronic acts a run for their money with his effortless, swirling 8-bit melodies. The album hits a rough spot in only two cases – in “Good Times,” the simplicity and repetition that makes their other tracks work actually becomes tiresome. Then later, in the outro, “Tell Me What to Swallow,” Kath’s synthesizer is replaced with reverb-y acoustic guitar and Glass tries out some dreamy, whispery vocals that lead to a boring, unimaginative end.
– Kristena Adamo
Last Gang Records: www.lastgangrecords.com