“When touring their highly-successful debut, Crystal Castles built a live show around speaker-shredding noise, with kohl-eyed singer Alice screaming into her microphone as wave after brutal wave of digital distortion broke behind her. As bracing as the live show was, the worrying possibility existed that the duo would carry this approach through to their second album, creating a squalling, unlistenable mess in the process. Fortunately, though, Alice and Ethan left the noise behind when they returned to the studio, choosing to explore the quieter, creepier elements of their sound instead. ‘Crystal Castles II‘ is a sinister and beautiful record, adding the pulse and hum of early ‘90s shoegaze and dream pop to the band’s base of glitchy electro pop. Empathy and Violent Dreams feature woozy melodies that recall the Cocteau Twins or My Bloody Valentine, and Alice’s indistinct vocals barely rise above a whisper, so when they do – on the rave-y Baptism and heart-pounding opener Fainting Spells – they are all the more effective. The highlight is definitely Celestica, and in a way, its naked emotion – the lyrics “when it’s cold outside, hold me tight, hold me” are amongst the only ones discernible on the album – makes it all the more surprising. Of all the trendy, over-hyped bands of the last few years, I’d never have guessed Crystal Castles would be the ones to make it out unscathed with a brilliant second album, but there you go.” — Alasdair Duncan, Rave Magazine
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