The James Logan Courier

By Alexys Cran, Courier Staff Writer

"Celestica (Album Mix)" is a dreamy introduction to Crystal Castle's very much anticipated new ep, Celestica, containing five new songs. It was released April 27. Alice Glass sings haunting lyrics in the first track, and this is the most I have heard her sing. The following song, "Insectica," is also unusual because it includes the more guitar than I've heard in a Crystal Castles song.

"Seed" also includes this new sound, and is intense, loud, and playful. I wouldn't have guessed this was Crystal Castles until I heard her voice and the video game sampling.
"Mother Knows Best" is another guitar-heavy song, as Glass sings "Its victory that i smell inside and the smell contains no guilt/ theres a sickness inside that i need to harvest".
"Celestica (Single Mix)" reminds me again of their last album's song "Vanished". It was the first song to surface before the album was released on April 23, 2010 and shows up on a Record Store Day 12".

"As we fall into sequence
and we're eating our young
remain silent and still for modesty
When the splints have been broken
and they can't help you now
do you pray with your eyes closed naturally

Follow me into nowhere
Woven with the utmost care"

However, like the last album I prefer hearing less of Alice Glass's voice and more of their hypnotic beats and Ethan Kath's Nintendo synth. Especially in "Celestica", the singing takes away from the uniqueness of their songs and make them sound more Top 40 slash 99.7.

Their second album, Crystal Castles, makes me anxious to see them in Los Angeles at HARD Summer Music Festival on August 7. "Fainting Spells" begins their sophomore album. The song is fast, erratic, and fun, a little more so than the next track which is the single "Celestica". It starts out the new, dark mood of the album. "Doe Deer" stays true to their rare sound and fulfilled my expectations of new, exciting songs from them. After "Doe Deer", the best song of the album in my opinion, is "Baptism". This song is a beautiful piece of art and I predict that at every show they play this song, the crowd will be going insane. "Empathy" is my least favorite of the album, but the entirety of this release has its permeating intensity. The next track "Suffocation" would have fit perfectly in the last album. It just feels like a shiny new, updated, Crystal Castles 2.0 with extra sparkly-twinkly noises thrown in. "Violent Dreams" is a little on the boring side compared to the rest of the album. "Vietnam" picks it up again ad builds and builds and builds to an explosion of orgasmic noise. This song is pretty undeniably magical. "Birds" is a pleasant change of pace, and "Pap Smear" is as equally as pleasing to the ears, though both songs are little too repetitive. "Not In Love" is so-so while "Intimate" ends the album on a rapturous note but falls into "I Am Made of Chalk", which is slow and eerie and ends abruptly.

This was the most fun I have had writing an article while listening to an album. I recommend it to everyone and I cannot think of someone who would not dance to this.

With a Lala.com account, you can log in and listen to both the Celestica single and the Crystal Castles (II) album. Be sure to do so before Lala.com shuts down on May 31st!