| Crystal Castles | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 23, 2010 (2010-4-23) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 52:54 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Crystal Castles chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Crystal Castles | ||||
Crystal Castles[a] is the second studio album by the Canadianelectronic music duoCrystal Castles, released on May 24, 2010, byFiction Records andLast Gang Records.[4][5] The album was initially scheduled for release on June 7, 2010; however, the release dates were moved forward after the album leaked online, thus a digital version of the album was released on April 23, 2010.
On April 25, 2011, the album was reissued digitally under the titleII (stylized as(II)), which replaced the original version of "Not in Love" with the version featuringRobert Smith (ofthe Cure).[6]
Crystal Castles was recorded byEthan Kath in a variety of locations including an abandoned church inIceland, a self-built cabin in northernOntario, a garage behind an abandoned drug store inDetroit, as well asPaul Epworth'sLondon studio.[7] Of the experience, Kath said, "I recorded most of the record in the coldest winter in decades in a church without heat in Iceland. It was so cold that when I listen back I can hear myself shivering. I chose it because it felt right".[8] In December 2009, Kath gave vocalistAlice Glass a CD-R containing 70 instrumental tracks, for which she then recorded vocals on 35 tracks.
In order to promote the album, the band released the first single "Celestica" in April followed by an EP titledDoe Deer that was released only a few days later. In May the band physically released the album. The album reached number 48 on theUK Albums Chart and number 188 on the USBillboard 200.[9][10] Later on in December, the single version of "Not in Love", featuring guest vocals fromRobert Smith ofthe Cure, was released. The single became Crystal Castles' highest-charting single to date.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.2/10[11] |
| Metacritic | 77/100[12] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [13] |
| Billboard |  [14] |
| The Guardian | [15] |
| Los Angeles Times | [16] |
| NME | 7/10[17] |
| Pitchfork | 8.5/10[18] |
| Q | [19] |
| Spin | 8/10[20] |
| The Times | [21] |
| Uncut | [22] |
Crystal Castles received generally positive reviews from music critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns aweighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 77, based on 24 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[12] Daniel Brockman ofThe Boston Phoenix praised the band for creating "a dense-yet-airy thicket of pure pop transcendence."MusicOMH also gave an extremely positive review, describing the album as "bold, dramatic, more than a little screwed-up and stunningly exciting statement."Pitchfork rated the album 8.5 out of 10, and awarded it their "Best New Music" accolade.
As of July 2012, Crystal Castles' first and second studio albums had sold a combined 174,000 copies in the United States, according toNielsen SoundScan.[23]
The album was a longlisted nominee for the2010 Polaris Music Prize.[24]
| Publication | List | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Drowned in Sound | Albums of the Year 2010[25] | 18 |
| musicOMH | Top 50 Albums of 2010[26] | 33 |
| NME | 75 Best Albums of 2010[27] | 31 |
| Pitchfork | The Top 50 Albums of 2010[28] | 34 |
| The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far (2010–2014)[2] | 65 | |
| PopMatters | The 70 Best Albums of 2010[29] | 51 |
| Rough Trade | Albums of the Year (2010)[30] | 35 |
| Slant Magazine | The 25 Best Albums of 2010[31] | 6 |
| The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s[32] | 69 | |
| Spin | The 40 Best Albums of 2010[33] | 21 |
| Stereogum | Top 50 Albums of 2010[34] | 12 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fainting Spells" | Kath | 2:44 | |
| 2. | "Celestica" |
|
| 3:48 |
| 3. | "Doe Deer" |
| Kath | 1:38 |
| 4. | "Baptism" |
|
| 4:13 |
| 5. | "Year of Silence" |
| Kath | 4:54 |
| 6. | "Empathy" |
|
| 4:11 |
| 7. | "Suffocation" |
|
| 4:02 |
| 8. | "Violent Dreams" |
| Kath | 4:35 |
| 9. | "Vietnam" |
|
| 5:08 |
| 10. | "Birds" |
| Kath | 2:31 |
| 11. | "Pap Smear" |
| Kath | 3:43 |
| 12. | "Not in Love" | Mark Holmes |
| 3:33 |
| 13. | "Intimate" |
| Kath | 4:45 |
| 14. | "I Am Made of Chalk" | Kath |
| 3:09 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Not in Love" (featuringRobert Smith fromThe Cure) | 3:48 |
| 16. | "Celestica" (Bear in Heaven Remix) | 3:29 |
| 17. | "Celestica" (Thurston Moore Remix) | 3:51 |
| 18. | "Baptism" (No Age Remix) | 4:18 |
| 19. | "Baptism" (Punks Jump Up Remix) | 5:03 |
| 20. | "Suffocation" (Memory Tapes Remix) | 5:09 |
| 21. | "Mother Knows Best" | 2:01 |
| 22. | "Insectica" | 1:49 |
| 23. | "Seed" | 1:44 |
Notes
Sample credits[35]
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofCrystal Castles.[35]
Crystal Castles
Additional personnel
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[36] | 25 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[37] | 56 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[38] | 54 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[9] | 48 |
| UK Dance Albums (OCC)[39] | 8 |
| USBillboard 200[10] | 188 |
| USTop Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[40] | 6 |
