Crystal Castles release new album Amnesty (I) in a torrent of experimental electronica that borders on symphonic sweetness and a brash wall of noise. After departure of vocalist Alice Glass and four years later the group is prolific as ever. Plus with a new vocalist in tow the themes of Amnesty (I) carry weight as the duo attempt to highlight more substantial themes.
Atmosphere weighs heavily in the opening moments of Amnesty (I). The opening track of “Femen” starts the set with choral harmonies and electronic glitches in a slow burning down-tempo number. In a raucous hardcore style the ambiguous love of “Fleece” follows as it pushes the hard-soft dynamic. “Char” meshes styles from acid to electro in an experimental mix over ‘a victim-less crime.’ Then a driving electro beat on the fraying of form hits heavily from the vocalist Edith Frances penned “Enth.”
More experimental moments appear in the record’s mid-section as Crystal Castles integrate a broad range of sounds to its tracks. “Sadist” continues the sweetly quiet versus hard and edgy dynamic that runs rampant across the record. The eerily foreboding instrumental “Teach Her How to Hunt” ripples in a pool of melodic dark synth glitches. Numb quietness expands though “Chloroform” with hip hop beats in a cool electronic mashup. Chorus chants amidst pounding rhythms on “Frail” sound remarkably familiar to the former vocalist.
The closing end of the record loses its edge somewhat in more avant-garde songs. Captivating trance tones and near indiscernible vocals make “Concrete” one the records more standout moments. While sonically pleasant “Ornament” gets lost in synthpop warbles and reversed vocal samples, notably from track “Char.” Then further chopped up Beach House samples abound as dance happy “Kept” goes on about keeping promises. Synthesizers get wildly euphoric as closing track “Their Kindness Is Charade” gets topically serious.
While Crystal Castles was thought to first be a lost afterthought the inclusion of Edith Frances is a welcome addition to the duo. Production quality is high, songs are prolific and catchy, despite the endless experimentation. Were it not for that then the weightiness of their message this time round would likely have stood out even more.