Crystal Castles – (III) (2012) – Review

Review: Canadian group Crystal Castles is made up of vocalist Alice Glass and producer Ethan Kath. Their great electronic albums (Crystal Castles and Crystal Castles [II]) and intense live shows have put them at the forefront of the genre.

With their third album (III), Crystal Castles has continued their brand of infectious beats and hypnotizing (sometimes shrill) vocals. The first two albums have a notable rawness and emotional intensity to them. (III) seems to be a bit softer sonically and not nearly as abrasive, but there is still an edge to the music. Lyrically, however, Glass is very aggressive in her political and social stances. Emotionally, the album feels very bleak, as if the world is crumbling around the listener and there is nothing that can be done about it. One can only look on in sadness and terror.

The songwriting is also much more refined on (III) making it musically their most accessible album. However, the thing that has changed for Crystal Castles is that when their first album came out in 2008 there was nothing else that sounded like them. Now, having been very influential on a multitude of groups, there is a ton of music that sounds like them, and yet Crystal Castles still has a uniqueness to their sound.

Crystal Castles is still at the top of their genre, and maybe have a crossover hit with (III). It is a fantastic album and well worth checking out for fans of electronic music. 4/5

Essential Tracks:

1)      Wrath of God

2)      Affection

3)      Sad Eyes

Available on: CD and Digital Download