Crystal Castles

I would have given this album 5 stars except about a third of the album is just total rubbish and not like the majority of the album!

For example 'Alice Practice' embodies the worst of these type of tracks: tuneless, thrashy, discordant and shouty rubbish. I can't imagine anyone loving this song or the others that are similar.

However the ones I love are just something else. They have taken/created melodies from old 8 bit games and combined them with what I would call a primitive electro style. I have always liked some of the old Commodore 64 games melodies and other 8 bit stuff (anyone remember Prince Clumsy? It's still in my head 20 years on!) with their mystical, futuristic and eerie qualties so this niche they have found is 'right up my street' so to speak.

My personal favourites are 'Untrust Us' which is 'out there' but immediate and unique with a strange and undecipherable vocal, 'Crimewave' which is pretty straight ahead dance/sampled vocals for them but is… more »

I would have given this album 5 stars except about a third of the album is just total rubbish and not like the majority of the album!

For example 'Alice Practice' embodies the worst of these type of tracks: tuneless, thrashy, discordant and shouty rubbish. I can't imagine anyone loving this song or the others that are similar.

However the ones I love are just something else. They have taken/created melodies from old 8 bit games and combined them with what I would call a primitive electro style. I have always liked some of the old Commodore 64 games melodies and other 8 bit stuff (anyone remember Prince Clumsy? It's still in my head 20 years on!) with their mystical, futuristic and eerie qualties so this niche they have found is 'right up my street' so to speak.

My personal favourites are 'Untrust Us' which is 'out there' but immediate and unique with a strange and undecipherable vocal, 'Crimewave' which is pretty straight ahead dance/sampled vocals for them but is still 'different', 'Air War' which is less dancey but just so cool and slightly sinister, 'Goodtime' with it's just achingly sumptious, wistful and simple melody, 'Vanished' which is the closest to an actual song and again features a naggingly brilliant trancey melody, 'Reckless' which is just thrilling as hell for me and 'Black Panther' which reminds me of 'Huddle Formation' by 'Go Team' fed through a more dancey template.

Overall I would strongly recommend this. The melodies are just so awesome. They may have probably nicked these off Atari St games but even if they did I'm glad they did.