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.
Vanished
Crystal Castles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We are its child-, here to stay
Running through, hungry for stray
No invitat-, take me away
I'm not cruel, still what you see
Club to club, city with me
Hungry for life, -out your pity
I don't want, you give it
Still can't say she won't start up
Still can't say she won't start up a fight
You go the city
'Cause in the city of life she can't, she can't wait
In the dark, killer await
To kill a life, life you make
You do another, death can live
Just keep on dan-, movie you're in (I'm not cruel)
Smell of your sweat, lures me in
Your heart-, things to me
Running feet, through my blood
My ghost inside you soon will be
Still can't say she won't start up
Still can't say she won't start up a fight
You go city
'Cause in the city of life she can't, she can't wait
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
I don't want sex, but you give it
Still can't say she won't start up
Still can't say she won't start up a fight
You go city
'Cause in the city of life she can't, she can't wait
Still can't say she won't start up
Still can't say she won't start up a fight
You go city
'Cause in the city of life she can't, she can't wait
Now it's over, you've taken your life
Dark grows thin and left to hide
I don't regret it, but it's sad anyway
Now we're both dead and so scared of the black
This life of games and diligent trust
It's the things we do and the things we must
I'm now tired of being cussed
So go sleep forever end to dust
The lyrics to the song Vanished by Crystal Castles describe the behavior of young people in the city who are seeking excitement and adventure. The song seems to be describing a scene of people running through the city streets at night, hungry for strays, and looking for companionship.
The lyrics speak about a killer who awaits in the darkness to kill those who lie. While the song is quite dark and macabre, itโs also quite poetic. The lyrics about dancing to the movie oneโs in is a beautiful metaphor, as is the hint at a ghost inside someone who soon will be.
Throughout the song, we witness the struggles of people seeking meaning in a meaningless world. The singer doesnโt want sex, but someone keeps offering it. In the end, death takes two people, and theyโre left scared of the blackness of death.
Overall, the song Vanished portrays the experiences of young people seeking adventure and thrills while acknowledging the light and dark aspects of such experiences. The lyrics are open to interpretation, but itโs clear that the song has a haunting and ominous tone.
Line by Line Meaning
In the dark , We come out and play
We thrive in the darkness and seek adventure.
We are its children, And were here to stay
We belong to the darkness and will remain here.
Running through , Hungry for strays
We search for those who stray from the norm.
No invitation, take me away
We do not need to be invited, we will take ourselves away.
I'm not cruel, But that's still what you see
Our intentions are not cruel, but we are perceived as such.
Club to club, Come see this city with me
Let's explore the city together, going from club to club.
Hungry for life, Without your pity
We crave life and experiences, but we don't need pity.
I don't want it, But you give it
We don't want pity, but we receive it anyway.
Still can't say she won't start up
Despite our intentions, we may still cause trouble.
Still can't say she won't start up a fight
We may instigate conflicts even if we don't want to.
You go city
We are drawn to the city and everything it offers.
Cause in the city of life she can't she can't wait
We are restless and eager to experience all the city has to offer.
In the darkness, A killer awaits
In the darkness, there is danger and the potential for harm.
To kill a life, And the lies you make
We will destroy falsehoods and anything that inhibits life.
You do another, So this death can live
We sacrifice one life for the benefit of another so that death can thrive.
Just keep on dancing, To the movie your in
We continue to enjoy ourselves, oblivious to the world around us.
The smell of your sweat, Just lures me in
We are drawn to the scent of human sweat, the smell of life.
Your heartbeat, Does sing to me
We are fascinated by the sound of a human heartbeat.
Running feet, Beats my blood
Movement and adrenaline inspire us and make us feel alive.
My ghost inside you, Soon will be
We will leave a lasting impression on those we encounter.
Now its over, You've taken your life
We witness a tragic end to a life.
The dark grows thin, And I'm left to hide
As the darkness fades, we are forced to retreat and hide.
I don't regret it, But its sad anyway
We are not remorseful, but it's still a somber moment.
Now were both dead, And scared of the black
Both the victim and the perpetrator are gone, and we fear what's next.
This life of games, And diligent trust
Life is a game, and trust is earned through dedication and effort.
Its the things we do, Or the things we must
We act out of necessity, but our actions still have consequences.
I'm now tired of being cussed
We are tired of being insulted or criticized.
So go sleep forever end to dust
We tell our victim to rest in peace, knowing that we will soon join them in death.
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Tomek Archer, Nicholas Routledge, Michael Di Francesco, Matthew Van Schie, Alice Glass, Ethan Kath
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
zeher ๐ซฃ
My Religion ainโt for music bae