Yet “Wrath of God” continues to uphold the status quo of “Kerosene” and “Plague.” The track alternates between the same driven choruses and subdued interludes, and it seems to reuse the distorted, high-pitched vocal squiggles of “Kerosene.” The ultimate result is an emotional plateau.įortunately, the album is not without distinct successes. The similar qualities of these two tracks would not necessarily be fatal if the pattern ended there. Its powerful, driven choruses, bolstered by the repeated declaration “I am the plague,” provide the album with its initial momentum the more subdued bass-drum beat on the verses allow Glass’ shrieking vocals and lyrics to come through distinctly and lend a haunting quality promised by an album with track titles like “Wrath of God,” “Pale Flesh,” and “Child I Will Hurt You.” Whatever meaning “Plague” is able to convey, however, is rendered far less potent when its eerie qualities continue rather unbroken into the next track, “Kerosene.” The synthesizers and drums attack in the same stuttering, aggressive pattern, and the breathy vocals dominate the verses in both tracks. The opening track, “Plague,” seems at first quite strong. Though these tracks are still danceable, for a duo as nuanced as Crystal Castles they are failures. Unfortunately, however, Crystal Castles do ultimately fall into the trap of their genre: while a few tracks are extraordinarily moving, others lack emotional power and seemingly blend together in their instrumentation and structure. In their third album, “Crystal Castles,” singer Alice Glass and producer Ethan Kath use tools that frequently power shallow dance songs to instead craft powerful emotional landscapes. That is, of course, a consummately untrue statement, and none proves that so definitely as Crystal Castles. Electronic music especially is too often defined by its vapidity it serves its purpose through its mindlessness. And, the general rule continues, music nowadays is divided along genre lines: there is pop music, dance music, electronic music then, there is indie music, folk, avant-garde. There is music for surface enjoyment, like dancing and partying then, there is music rife with meaning, meant to elicit an emotional response. It often seems that modern music is strictly divided into two categories.
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