They are named after the lyrics "The fate of the world is safe in Crystal Castles" and "Crystal Castles, the source of all power" both from the theme song for She-Ra's fortress. They are known for their melancholic lo-fi sound and their explosive live shows. Their debut album was included in NME's "Top 50 Albums of the Decade".
Initially the band was intended to be a solo project started by Ethan Kath in December 2003. Ethan later discovered Alice Glass singing in a noise-punk band, and thought he had found the "missing ingredient" to his music.
In 2004 Kath gave Alice 60 instrumental tracks and in April 2005 she recorded vocals over five instrumentals. The limited vinyl release of the band's first single Alice Practice sold out in only three days.
The track was a microphone test by Glass and she was not aware that the recording existed until London UK's Merok Records asked to release the track on vinyl, according to now ex-bandmate Kath. However, Glass declared over a decade later that this story was not true.
On the 18th March 2008 they released their debut album entitled Crystal Castles. This album reached #47 on UK Albums Chart, #6 on US Top Electronic Albums, #13 on US Top Heatseekers, and #32 on US Independent Albums. Crystal Castles received great reviews and ranked #39 on NME Magazine "Top 50 Albums of the Decade". They issued four singles: Alice Practice (1 June 2006), Crimewave (Crystal Castles vs HEALTH) (13 August 2007), Air War (17 December 2007), and Courtship Dating (31 March 2008).
Crystal Castles are known not only for their own efforts as a band, but also for commissioned remixes for number of groups, including Hunting For Witches by Bloc Party, and Atlantis to Interzone by friends and label mates, Klaxons.
In mid-2008, Crystal Castles were involved in two controversies related to artwork permissions and samples in their earliest unreleased songs. Crystal Castles used Trevor Brown's artwork (depicting singer Madonna with a black eye) without permission.
Furthermore, in one of Kath's earliest, unreleased demos, he incorporated a sample without permission. The track, "Insectica (CC vs Lo-Bat Version)", uses clips chopped out of a song by Lo-bat called "My Little Droid Needs a Hand", released under a Creative Commons license. Another track called "Love and Caring", samples the kick and snare from Covox's "Sunday".
In 23 April 2010 the duo released their second album Crystal Castles (II). This album reached #48 on UK Singles Chart, #8 on UK Dance Albums Chart, #24 on US Digital Albums, #6 on US Top Electronic Albums, and #3 on US Top Heatseekers. Crystal Castles (II) has been met with mostly positive reviews from critics. To date, four singles were issued: Doe Deer, Celestica and Baptism, and a new version of the track Not In Love which featured Robert Smith of The Cure on vocals.
This became their biggest hit to date, charting in a great amount of countries including a #3 in Belgium (Flanders), a #31 in Denmark and various notable placements on official alternative music charts. "Not In Love", which is a cover of a Platinum Blonde song of the same name, was also featured in various television shows (including "Degrassi") and the popular football simulation videogame FIFA 12.
The band toured throughout 2010 in the US and abroad and played the Reading and Leeds Festivals and Glastonbury Festival in the UK and Big Day Out in Australia. In February 2011, the band will perform on the NME Awards Tour
The band's third album, (III) was released on November 21, 2012. The album contains the singles "Plague", "Wrath of God", and "Sad Eyes".
On October 8th 2014 it was announced on then lead singer Alice Glass' Twitter that she was leaving the band, and that the group would end. However, Crystal Castles' manager immediately reported that the band would continue, and on April 15th, 2015, Ethan Kath shared a new track titled Frail on SoundCloud, writing 'this is Edith on vocals', implying that fellow musician Edith Frances was Crystal Castles' new lead vocalist, which was in fact the case.
On 2 July 2015, another new song, Deicide, was released as a single. A new version of Deicide was later released on the album under the title Their Kindness is Charade.
In late November 2015, Edith Frances played her first show as the other half of Crystal Castles in South Africa.
In the last week of June 2016, the track Concrete was leaked on Korean website MNet. The track was later released as a single on July 6 with an accompanying video Video on the same day on YouTube.
On June 29, the band previewed a new track Femen with a teaser of the music Video showing birds caught and struggling in mist nets via Vimeo.
On July 11, the band announced the new record, Amnesty (I) along with its cover art and track list and also premiering Char as Annie Mac's Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1.
The single and pre-order for the album were made available a day later on July 12.
The fourth, and last pre-order single Fleece was made available on August 16 at the band's iTunes page.
Another single titled Sadist was released on August 18, followed by the official release of the album on August 19, 2016. Track Sadist was followed by Edith's message announced on CC official Facebook page.
On their official website CC announced that all band's proceeds from Amnesty (I) album will be donated to Amnesty International. New album Vinyl and CD includes bonus track Kept.
http://www.crystalcastles.com
Various sources have reported that, as of 2018, Crystal Castles remains in a hiatus with no signs of new material coming in the near future.
Celestica
Crystal Castles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And we're eating our young
Remain silent and still for modesty
When the splints have been broken
And they can't help you now
Do you pray with your eyes closed naturally
Follow me into nowhere
If I'm lost please don't find me
If I jump let me sink
We descended from no one
With a wink
When it's cold outside hold me
Don't hold me
When I choose to rest my eyes coax me
Don't coax me
When it's cold outside hold me
Don't hold me
When I choose to rest my eyes coax me
Don't coax me
Follow me into nowhere
Woven with the utmost care
Have they cleansed you with chloride
And scrubbed behind the knees
Has your body been hollowed by the breeze
The lyrics to Crystal Castles' song Celestica is a hauntingly beautiful representation of the band's signature blend of electronic and punk music. The first verse of the song is a mysterious sequence of phrases that seem to imply some kind of ritualistic sacrifice. "As we fall into sequence / And we're eating our young / Remain silent and still for modesty." This could imply a metaphor for society's tendency to cannibalize its own youth and hold them to unrealistic standards.
The second verse changes the focus of the song to a more personal level. "When it's cold outside hold me / Don't hold me / When I choose to rest my eyes coax me / Don't coax me." Here, the mood of the song turns more melancholy, as the singer seems to be speaking directly to a lover or friend. They seem to need someone who can both comfort them and give them space. The use of opposites in the lyrics creates a sense of confusion and uncertainty, reflecting the mixed emotions that one might feel during a difficult moment.
Overall, Celestica is a deeply emotional and introspective song that captures the essence of Crystal Castles' unique sound.
Line by Line Meaning
As we fall into sequence
As we conform and follow the expected path
And we're eating our young
And we're destroying the future generations
Remain silent and still for modesty
Stay quiet and humble to avoid drawing attention
When the splints have been broken
When all the support and structure has been lost
And they can't help you now
And no one can assist you anymore
Do you pray with your eyes closed naturally
Do you naturally and instinctively turn to religion in times of need
Follow me into nowhere
Join me on a path with no clear direction or purpose
Woven with the utmost care
Created with great attention to detail and precision
If I'm lost please don't find me
If I lose my way, please don't come looking for me
If I jump let me sink
If I take a leap and fall, let me stay down
We descended from no one
We do not come from a special or superior lineage
With a wink
With a lighthearted gesture, not to be taken too seriously
When it's cold outside hold me
When the world is harsh and unforgiving, offer me comfort
Don't hold me
But don't smother me or stifle my independence
When I choose to rest my eyes coax me
When I need to take a break, encourage me to relax
Don't coax me
But don't force me to do something I don't want to
Have they cleansed you with chloride
Has society sanitized or whitewashed your identity and experiences
And scrubbed behind the knees
And tried to erase or hide the less glamorous parts of your story
Has your body been hollowed by the breeze
Have you lost your passion and motivation due to external factors
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALICE GLASS, ETHAN KATH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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