Home > Los Angeles Music > CD Review > Crystal Castles, 'Crystal Castles'

Backstory: This death-disco duo made an instantaneous impact on the new electro underground when they first charged out of Toronto in 2005. Noisemaker Ethan Kath’s chaotic compositions are brought to screaming life courtesy singer Alice Glass, who’s steely, disconnected lyricism and confrontational stage presence has made the band a blogosphere sensation.

Why you should care: In contrast to the endless supply of cookie-cutter electronic dance “acts” overrunning the scene, Crystal Castles delivers a wholly original sound that’s as innovative as it is occasionally accidental. The band’s genuinely punk rock stage shows are electric and compelling, and they’ve already delivered an instant classic remix with their shrill shredding of “Atlantis to Interzone” by the Klaxons.

Verdict: Starting from a base of 8-bit “glitchtronica,” Crystal Castles have created a cut-and-paste pastiche of discordant, industrial dirge, heavenly melodies and Alice’s kill-robot wailings. Warm, expansive instrumentals like “Magic Spells” sound like a Daft Punk fever dream, and “Courtship Dating” flips a pop hook and bouncy beat into something that grinds like Kylie Minogue doing it with Aphex Twin. They keep it real with the videogame apocalypse of “Xxzxcuzx Me” and “Air War.”

X-Factor: The album closer “Tell Me What to Swallow” is a spacey, acoustic lament reminiscent of old-school Smashing Pumpkins ballads circa “Gish” (think “Daydream”), but it’s most notable for revealing the stark beauty of Glass’s voice.

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