This LP arrives four years after their last full-length album III, and after months of teaser singles. It manages to pack that classic CC punch, even with a running time of about half an hour.
“It’s not the same without Alice Glass…”
…is all I hear in regards to the current Crystal Castles lineup. Because of course, when the vocalist/front-woman leaves a band, it obviously discredits the production and beats of all of their past albums right? Duh.
“Why is she performing Alice’s songs? This is so not cool.”
…so you wanna go to a CC show and NOT hear your fave tracks live again – just because there’s a new singer? Get over it.
In a stubborn world of music snobs, many CC fans were turned away due to Alice’s abrupt departure from the band. But as a fan of their music for 8+ years now, how could I not appreciate or at least respect the fact that they are still progressing along given the circumstances? Luckily I’ve seen OG CC live before (Alice was INSANE) and will never forget that, but let’s focus on the future and keep the old tracks for memories.
I immediately purchased the digital download of Amnesty (33:14 running time), along with the physical CD (37:18 running time) which includes bonus track “Kept”.
From the reversed Nirvana vocals sung by a children’s ghost choir in “Femen”, to the trap-infused high hats on “Chloroform” – I feel this album really took parts from III and moved into the future of Crystal Castles. When appropriate, the heavy distortion has been subdued and the vocals have become more crisp and clear. But in true form, tracks like “Concrete”, “Sadist”, and “Fleece” really give us that layered-upon-layered synth explosion we know and love, topped with a heavy hand of vocal reverb.
My only, only complaint – if you’d call it that – is that this should have been released or marketed as an EP. The expectations were very high for me with these two, and with a hiatus of that long in combination with about 4 of the tracks being previously released online I was a little disappointed with the album length. If you take away the witchy interludes and tracks that I’ve already heard, I think I got about 15-20 minutes of new material.
But hey, I’m being greedy and it doesn’t mean I like the album any less at all. I am beyond ready to see them again, 6 years later, in October! CC brings an unparalleled level of energy to their live shows and I am gonna be serving rave dungeon vibes at this show for sure.
What do you think of the new music? Tell me your thoughts!