Insularity is nothing new for Crystal Castles, as both of their self-titled records existed in a sort of personal airlock. Even the all-texture tracks ("Telepath", "Insulin") are more driven by rhythm than abrasion they contribute to the overall flow rather than hijacking it. Crystal Castles songs could once be split into two camps, the "pretty" ones and the "aggressive" ones (III) is the duo's most focused record, and the fact that it avoids assaults like "Doe Deer" or "Alice Practice" demonstrates an alluring confidence. While not as immediately striking as either Crystal Castles (I or II), the streamlined sound allows more maneuverability and subtle variety in the actual songwriting. "Pale Flesh" exhumes witch house for just long enough to beat it at its own game, "Sad Eyes" is pure rave throwback, and the call-and-response hooks that materialize as scrambled vocal transmissions ("Kerosene") and longing synth countermelodies ("Affection") come off like power-pop played by catatonic automatons. As promised, it is unyieldingly "bleak." Even the catchy songs are filtered through a forbidding darkness. The music now conveys a sense of unease somewhere between waiting for the drugs to kick in and wanting to leave the club as soon as possible. It retains Ethan Kath's trademark staggered synths and Glass' acute wail still pierces through thick reverb. It is a song of frightening beauty, one in which the unfolding tranquility and serenity does not mask the accompanying dread, but anticipates it.Though the duo claims to have overhauled their recording process for (III), trading in all of their gear and disallowing the use of computers in the studio, the album couldn't be mistaken for the work of anyone else. Absolutely nothing on the release, however, can compare to closer ‘Child I Will Hurt You’.
‘Transgender’ has a nice holiness to it, or at least it sounds like it was recorded in a blown-out church. ‘Kerosene’ manages to be both bouncy and haunting, thanks to Glass’ most decipherable line, “I’ll protect you from all the things I’ve seen.” ‘Affection’ is surprisingly accessible, although that trick was employed better on II tracks like ‘Empathy’. Still, even a coo from Glass will express some horrible trait of humanity, and her voice - and what is done to it - is mostly fine here, if sometimes predictable. Subduing Glass on III actually tamps down the nihilism somewhat. Although an involuntary blood curdling isn’t to everyone’s tastes, anyone who does fancy a generous helping of shriek need only spin old tracks ‘Alice Practice’, ‘Doe Deer’, or ‘Baptism’ to get their fix. One of Crystal Castles’ greatest assets is Glass’ scream, which is used relatively sparingly on III. ‘Wrath of God’ is the song which comes closest to the scourge we were promised - particularly in the unrelenting wash of noise at the song’s end - but, for every moment like it, there is something fairly run of the mill like the goth rave-up ‘Sad Eyes’. The duo find sure footing sometimes, but not often enough.įor every instance on III set to give the listener an aural acid bath, there are nearly as many that might induce a snooze on the bus, and a dribble on your neighbouring passenger’s shoulder. The run-up to III has promised that Glass and miserablist producer Ethan Kath would deliver the tried and tested formula amped up to 11, but also their setting foot in new territory as well. There are things one has come to expect from a Crystal Castles release: it’s going to be noisy, song titles will carry unpleasant connotations, lyrics - when intelligible - will have little in common with usual dancefloor-aimed electropop, and Alice Glass will scream many of them.
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