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.
Dreams
Crystal Castles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
Please let me take your car
Won't you please let me take your car"
Two policemen in the car behind
Not on duty but they stopped
And just before the car caught fire
Bravely they pulled her off
Bravely they pulled her off
Bravely they pulled her off
If I were you Chrissie I'd rather
not look in that mirror
The eyes are open but there's nobody there
And when it's dark I have her
I have her
I have her
The lyrics of the song Violent Dreams by Crystal Castles seem to start off with a request to borrow a car. The singer, however, seems to be somewhat unreliable or untrustworthy, as there are two policemen in the car behind that have stopped for some unexplained reason. The next lines describe a heroic act by the policemen. The car seems to have caught fire, and despite not being on duty, they bravely pulled someone off the car. The person is mentioned to be called Chrissie, and there is a suggestion that she may be traumatized or disturbed in some way, as the singer advises her not to look in the mirror. The singer seems to be struggling with some personal demons too, as they confess to having "her" when it's dark.
The lyrics of this song are difficult to interpret fully, as they are open to a range of meanings. However, it is likely that the song is dealing with some dark themes, such as death, trauma, and inner turmoil. The reference to "violent dreams" suggests that the singer may be experiencing some intense and disturbing dreams, and the mention of the car accident adds a sense of danger or threat. There is also a sense of isolation and emotional distance, as the singer seems to be struggling with their own issues and unable to connect with others. Overall, the song explores complex themes of fear, loss, and personal struggle.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ETHAN KATH, STINA NORDENSTAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@goncalo7415
"Won't you let me, well you know I can drive
Please let me take your car
Won't you please let me take your car"
Two policemen in the car behind
Not on duty but they stopped
And just before the car caught fire
Bravely they pulled her off
Bravely they pulled her off
Bravely they pulled her off
Bravely they pulled her off
If I were you Chrissie I'd rather
@mittenscookiecreme3053
Listen in headphones makes your ears feel like their beating like a heart.
@oschyo9230
true
@unknowngh0sty
i love you so much.
@suzanaprekupni
Violent dreams i love you
@randyworby
This song has always tripped me out with how it makes you feel by the pulsing of that beat. It's so hard to notice through a phone speaker or any speaker really. Headphones turn this song into a whole experience, as if it isn't a crazy one already without that level of immersion
@adammurraymandelacatalog
3:39 starting to mêmes m'y incorrect really violent dream meme
@dyllangrey1484
crystal castles is still the best electronic band of this generation, no debate
@_Pr0.xy_
That idea is just an illusion, but I also love Crystal Castles.
@kate9341
Facts
@WOAHFOX
Purity ring tho