Life > March 27, 2008

By Caryn Kesler | Contributing writer

With nothing but a handful of vinyl singles, remix tracks and now, finally, a proper album, Toronto duo Crystal Castles have firmly established themselves as the cult party group du jour.

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On their self-titled debut LP which was released on March 18, Ethan Kath and Alice Glass prove that they have tapped into some madcap sensibility that resonates on sweaty, crowded dance floors, begging everyone to experience their relentless electro mayhem.

You can’t approach the album cerebrally and expect to be met with anything except noise, however.

Their music requires a physical connection that when absent, reduces the album to a kind of abstract nonsense. If their sold-out shows and massive following prove anything, it’s that behind all the Nintendo blips and techno sleaze, Crystal Castles possesses an infectious and uncompromising vitality that begs to be not only listened to but experienced.

The album itself is a totally unsettling but weirdly compelling drama loosely organized around shimmering dance beats and nervous glitches.

Kath and Glass switch styles like hyperactive children, but what the songs have in common is that they are each designed to make you move, whether it’s through the immediately club-ready sounds of “Black Panther” or the shifting synths of “Crimewave.”

The band is at its best on songs like “Untrust Us” where the noise elements compliment the retro dance textures rather than overwhelm them.

Unfortunately, songs like “Alice Practice” and “xxzcuzx me” seem unnecessarily abrasive, lost in their nightmare arcade landscapes of spazzy, violent glitches.

The inclusion of the strange and spooky sounds of the aforementioned songs can perhaps be explained by the delving into the history of the band and its songs.

“Alice Practice” was the song that made record labels first take notice of Crystal Castles a couple of years ago when Kath secretly recorded Glass warming up her vocals over crazy Nintendo sound effects.

Since it is, after all the sound the got the duo them signed with Last Gang Records, it would make sense that the record company felt obliged to include “Alice Practice” on the LP.

It is perhaps from this original hit song that the additional frenetic songs on the album were included so as not to make “Alice Practice” stand out too much.

The biggest surprise of Crystal Castles is the haunting little shoegaze number that closes the album.

Featuring just a guitar, some ambient synthesizer swells and Glass’ ethereal vocals, “Tell Me What To Swallow” is a reminder that the album was crafted with a great deal of heart.

Listening to the record again after hearing the closing track made me realize and appreciate the organic simplicity to the Crystal Castles appeal.

The pulsing rhythm, perhaps the only consistent element on the album, is an open invitation to join the party and share Crystal Castles’ frantic energy.