It doesn't, however, ever transcend those needsĪmnesty (I) certainly proves that Crystal Castles can survive past the departure of a key member, but only offers a few reasons why they shouldĪn album that, while impressively intense, lacks the human urgency of their earlier work Meets all goth-adjacent indie-dance needs squarely. They still quake, but not quite like before Without Glass, Crystal Castles has become diluted and Amnesty (I) feels like an awkward side-step, rather than a forward leap Kath has to treat those staying loyal as sweet as possible and so Amnesty (I) unashamedly swings hard for the ‘same but different’ fences If the sense of overfamiliarity is a bit disappointing for a band once lauded as experimentalists, producer Ethan Kath has also retained his knack for writing terrific hooks and warped melodiesįeels all the more like a placeholder while the new Crystal Castles discover and redefine themselves While this record is an enjoyable nod to Crystal Castles’ legacy, it could have been a bolder introduction to their new line-up
This is an unpredictable album, thrillingly and engagingly soĪs a window into an artist's mind, it couldn't be more transparent. The first safe album from an act that once would have recoiled at such a thought Print edition onlyĪ pleasing reboot and shows promise that Crystal Castles are not out for the count just yetĪll in all, Amnesty (I) is a good album, but not an album that stacks up to the first three that Crystal Castles put out The truth of the matter is that, as long as it's Ethan Kath behind the mixing desk, it doesn't really matter who the singer of Crystal Castles isīrutally effective industrial lullabies. In this case, quality comes through without much interference from questionable character Instead, it sounds like a very good attempt at something that a whole lot of other people have done before.Sort by ADM rating Sort by most recent review This could have sounded like everything else they’ve done before, consistency at best and stagnation at worst. Overall, Amnesty (I) is a solid listen, yet it puts Crystal Castles into a damned-if-you-do bind. “Their Kindness is Charade” is a confusing note on which to end, getting wrong the pop stomp of EDM and house where someone like Grimes might manage to get it right. “Ornament” and “Kept” are each built from chattering samples the former is chillwave that reconfigures “Char,” while the latter mixes up a few Beach House tunes in the manner of too many small-time Soundcloud accounts to count. Only on the last quarter of the album do the band slip into sounds and structures that might set off predictability alarms among millennials.
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“Chloroform” is full of buzzing discomfort that hints at mass-media critique (“Submit to the swarm/In singular form”), while “Femen” is a successfully cracked experiment that wants to merge trap with drum’n’bass. “Concrete”-one of a pair of tracks, along with “Frail,” that seems to tie fabric and clothing to issues of individuality-could easily be mistaken for My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult. The majority of the work on here hews close to the synth-pop and electronic body music put out on Alfa Matrix, Metropolis and similar labels.Ĭuts like “Char” and “Enth” share significant sonic elements germane to that world: purposefully polished and clipped instrumentation, scorched-earth atmospheres, socially and politically suggestive lyrics, and measured decisions on vocals that coo or crack. There’s some overlap, much like switching from biology to pre-med, but there’s also significant ground to cover to be an expert-and gain respect-in a new field.įor all of its girth the music of Crystal Castles’ first three albums had a certain intimacy, the bedroom and garage ethos of modern electronic subgenres merged with the homegrown proto-industrial of acts like Suicide and canon like “ Warm Leatherette.” On Amnesty (I) Kath, Frances and drummer Christopher Chartrand heavily mechanize this already technical sound, putting more layers of armor and weaponry on the anime robot. The results comprise a bumpy yet lateral move from one sound to another. It’s the first release since the somewhat contentious departure of original frontwoman Alice Glass, and group mastermind Ethan Kath replacing her with Edith Frances.
If that action ever called for a house band and soundtrack they might be found in Amnesty (I), the fourth album from Toronto indie-electro act Crystal Castles. college students change their major at some point during their time in school. Various contemporary studies suggest at least half and as many as 80 percent of U.S.
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