Album Review: Crystal Castles - (III)

Toronto's electronic experimentalists Crystal Castles are back with their third album, aptly named III. The renowned chaotic duo of Ethan Kath and Alice Glass have taken a fresher approach on this latest album, ditching their old synthesisers and limiting themselves to one take per song in hope of finding its rawest expression, apparently.

First track and single off the album, Plague, is definitely one of the strongest. The eerie intro gradually builds to include Glass's haunting vocals as jagged sounds and a heart beat pulse develops throughout the track. Kerosene's fat bass line and funky beats make it an instant winner and contrasts the delicate vocals and samples that layer the track. The soft beat and gentle percussion at the intro to Wrath Of Go are again juxtaposed with the cranking beat and screaming vocals that this duo do so well.

The down-tempo Affection makes for a great mid-way-through reprieve before guaranteed club hit Sad Eyes lifts things up again and really gets your heart racing. Things take a bit of a turn for the worse when Pale Flesh's screechy noises and vocals start grating on your ears and Insulin is so disjointed and full-on that it leaves you feeling nothing but stressed and confused. But maybe that's the point.

Transgender and Violent Youth address the issues of the day, with the latter contrasting yet again an unusually cheery sound with such a dark topic. Child, I Will is simply magical and finishes the album in very different place to where it started.

It's a solid third outing for Crystal Castles, but it's a love/hate relationship with some of the tracks and there is unfortunately no standout Not In Love hits here. But it's still definitely worth a listen.