★★★★★
Release Date : March 18, 2008 From the get go, Crystal Castles have denied their name being affiliated with the classic Atari video-game, instead saying they're named after She Ra's fortress. Even if that's where their name comes from, the Atari inspiration is prevalent throughout their debut after its reveal in opening track "Untrust Us" which has a sound that will evoke nostalgia in anyone who's ever played a 16-bit game in their life...
- absolutepunk.net
2014-06-28
★★★★★
Ethan Kath (or whatever he's calling himself these days) claims that he instituted a no-computer policy for this album and recorded everything to tape using a one-take rule, but he's probably lying. In fact, III is cleaner and slicker than either of the two previous Crystal Castles albums, and the more radio-friendly sound suits the Toronto synth-punk band better than you'd think...
- www.nowtoronto.com
2013-04-02
★★★★★
Facebook is currently trying to convince us that it is like a swimming pool or a cake. Following this logic, that means buzz bands are like hot slices of pizza... It looks good, resembles what you want, you tell yourself and everyone at your table how great it is. You can't wait to sink your teeth in, but then, when you bite down, you get burned! The magma-like tomato sauce of the second mouthful then burns your burn...
- drownedinsound.com
2013-04-02
★★★★★
What's that, moribund music fan? Not sure whether you're going to like the new Crystal Castles album? Well, don't fret. There's a simple test. Did you like the last one? Live, Crystal Castles surprise. A litany of security guards and moronic crowd members with wandering hands and soon to be broken noses will attest to that. But on record, not so much...
- www.musicomh.com
2013-04-02
★★★★★
5
Critical Mass
Release Date: November 8, 2012Label: Casablanca/Republic/Fiction
Crystal Castles Soon after posting their first soundcheck in 2005, rapturous press, chart hits, and an international rep as a fearsome live act all swiftly snowballed for the Toronto-bred chiptune duo who'd been so busy touring and recording that they hadn't bothered to have actual homes...
- www.spin.com
2012-12-03
★★★★★
Electropop duo Crystal Castles have turned their focus here toward themes of violence and oppression; it can be seen in incendiary song titles such as "Violent Youth," "Mercenary," and "Wrath of God," and most prominently in the stark album cover, which features an award-winning photo of a Yemeni mother cradling her son who was injured in an anti-government protest. Alice Glass and Ethan Kath are feeling the weight of the world, and III is their response...
- www.undertheradarmag.com
2012-11-29
★★★★★
Soon after posting their first soundcheck in 2005, rapturous press, chart hits, and an international rep as a fearsome live act all swiftly snowballed for the Toronto-bred chiptune duo who'd been so busy touring and recording that they hadn't bothered to have actual homes. Then, in late 2010, the pair released a version of "Not in Love," turning Platinum Blonde's 1983 new-wave oldie (rightly unknown beyond Canada) into an ultra-dramatic gothic disco masterstroke via a bravura guest vocal by the...
- www.spin.com
2012-11-29
★★★★★
Perma-hoodied producer Ethan Kath and his fellow moody Canadian, singer Alice Glass, have carved out a unique niche. Their shows are notoriously riotous, appealing to a rock crowd, but their recorded output remains opaque, dolorous and rather beautiful. Their third eponymous album, known for reasons of convenience as '(III)', maintains their high quality threshold. Kath's distorted lo-fi electro-trance deconstructed by melancholy droids melts into Glass's treated vocals to luscious effect...
- www.mixmag.net
2012-11-28
★★★★★
"Every act of rebellion expresses a nostalgia for innocence and an appeal to the essence of being" --Albert Camus The long and winding road to Crystal Castles' (III) has been one bizarre, beguiling ride. When they first arrived in their 8-bit, glitch-tech infancy they were one of the most truly despised 'n' divisive bands in town. Brilliantly so...
- www.popmatters.com
2012-11-27