Thieves In The Night(life)
By Veronica Murtagh in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 10, 2009 3:40PM
A full year has passed since the release of the Crystal Castles eponymous self-titled debut. The Toronto duo of Ethan Kath and Alice Glass continue to ride the slippery slope between praise and exile.
Heading up many Best Of 2008 lists, the Crystal Castles found a wide fanbase in their sample-based, DIY electronica. Gameboy-esque blips, beeps and whirs morph into the sometimes droning, sometimes screeching vocal manipulations of Alice Glass. An aggressive first year schedule of club tours, festival performances and corporate tie-ins imprinted the band's sound on soon-to-be fans worldwide.
One of the most debated characteristics of the Crystal Castles is the chasm between their recorded material and their live performances. Like many fans, we found intrigue in the deep, creepy, acoustic leanings of the duo's recorded material, but sometimes a great album doesn't translate to an impressive live show. Onstage the group's DIY voice takes prominence, burying the filtered, dreamy production signature to their sound. Glass circles the stage in unpredictable abandon, alternating between mumbling at the floor for uncomfortable lengths of time and screaming towards the heavens with the intensity of a wild animal and none of the self-editing that made her unique vocal range a surprising and pleasing counterpart to the 8-bit beats of the group's recorded material.
Far more sensational, are the reports of a complete lack of artistic integrity from the band. Mid-2008 found praise turn to raised eyebrows amidst reports of the Kath thieving samples from chiptune producers and the more heavily publicized re-appropriation of Trevor Brown's (link NSFW) artwork for merch without the artist's permission. Despite attempts and excuses, the band couldn't successfully hide behind their DIY mantra and garnered a reputation as thieves in the night(life).
Love them, hate them, or love to hate them, with only one full length album and a handful of 7" releases to their credit, the Crystal Castles have succeeded at generating buzz at the pace of a runaway freight train. You can check out both sides of their musical spectrum and make up your own mind tonight.
Crystal Castles play live with Gatekeeper tonight, April 10, at Bottom Lounge, 1375 W Lake, 7 p.m., limited number of tickets left, available only at the venue box office, All Ages
Crystal Castles play a DJ set with Beau Wanzer of Golden Birthday and Jordan Z at Go Bang! tonight, April 10, at Sonotheque, 1444 W Chicago, 9 p.m., $15, 21+