Sebastian and Gilbert were old friends, while Gilbert and Graham met through various parties. The three then began making music under various guises before being joined by Laure and Mimi. The band now play with a live drummer.
The group took their name ‘Crystal Fighters’ from an unfinished opera which Laure’s grandfather had penned during his final months of insanity. Laure came across the manuscript while clearing out the reclusive old man’s remote home in the Basque countryside. She quickly became obsessed by the intriguing scrawls within it and shared it with the others. Captivated by its seemingly prophetic contents, the band took on the name and formed in an attempt to expand upon the wild and deranged spirit of the old man’s writings.
Crystal Fighters’ style is a fusion of genres – fast progressive dance music joined by the melodies and dances of traditional Basque folk, alongside synthesisers, bass-driven wonk-funk, with beats fuelled by early 80s Spanish punk and experimental electronica from bands such as Aviador Dro, Las Vulpes and Dulce Venganza. Basque music informs much of their songwriting: the riff on ‘Champion Sound’ is lifted from the Basque folk piece ‘Sagar Dantza’ and ‘In The Summer’ draws upon music heard at the Carnival of Lantz in Navarroa.
In 2008, popular music-website Palms Out Sounds picked up the track ‘I Love London’ and news of the band's unique sound began to spread. This led to two single releases through record label Kitsuné in 2009. The band had released “Xtatic Truth” via Kitsuné in May 2009. It captured the attention of BBC Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw who made it Single of the Week, a monumental feat for a band’s first single. The group’s second single 'I Love London' was released on Kitsuné in December 2009. The buzz resulted in the band being one of the Top 5 most blogged artists in the world
'Star of Love' is the name of the first album by Crystal Fighters. It was released to critical acclaim in the UK on 4 October 2010 via the band’s own label Zirkulo. The collection of songs explores the themes in singer Laure's grandfather's writings. Themes include the unfathomable mystery of the universe, the turbulent journey towards being at peace with death, the triumph of love, and the omnipotence of the sun. "Star Of Love" is actually an acronym for SOL, the Spanish word for “sun”.
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"Single most exciting live show in dance music" Mixmag
“Crystal Fighters stand out as one of the most interesting prospects by a mile– something genuinely new sounding” NME
"Klaxons move over, this band are brilliant, fantastic live performances infused with the unique instruments creates a brilliant sound" Its All Indie
"Raved-up folktronica and minimal electro pop and veering from Fischerspooner-style euphoria to Animal Collective-toned delicacy” Time Out
“Crystal Fighters’ create carnage at every performance. ” Loud & Quiet
“Forget what you think you know about London’s party scene” FACT
"If these tracks don’t make you want to rip your shirt off and dive into a sweaty sea of beautiful people and glistening gems, I don’t know what will." The Tripwire
Are We One
Crystal Fighters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything I hear, everything I see
But it's hard with everything I bet
In favor of, It all be real, yeah
It's hard to be in doubt with all the pieces there are to believe
And it's hard not to go with everything that I'm feelin' in me
Into the night, I'm going there to
To be swept up in her arms,
Awake and alive, I come out here to
Be with you one more time
Are we one, are we one, are we love?
Are we one, are we one, are we love?
When we go walk, are we one, are we love?
Are we one, are we one, are we love?
Are we love?
In the sky, open trees
In the ocean blue, everything is free
I'm alive, with all the feeling I have in me
'Cuz they are so real, yeah
It's hard to be in doubt with all the reasons there are to believe
Right now I'm gonna go with everything that I'm feelin' in me
Into the night, I'm going there to
Walk too close to the tides
To be swept up in her arms,
Home and alive, I come out here to
Be with you one more time
Are we one, are we one, are we love?
Are we one, are we one, are we love?
When we go walk, are we one, are we love?
Are we one, are we one, are we love?
And now I can tell you 'bout it
I'll carry on like it do'nt exist
But in my heart I'm really thinkin' 'bout it
And I gotta let you know what it is
And now I can tell you 'bout it
I'll carry on like it do'nt exist
But in my heart I'm really thinkin' 'bout it
And I gotta let you know what it is
Are we one, are we one, are we love?
Are we one, are we one, are we love?
When we go walk, are we one, are we love?
Are we one, are we one, are we love?
In this song, Crystal Fighters explore the idea of doubt and the struggle to navigate through life's uncertainties. The first verse establishes the difficulty in trusting what we hear and see, especially when there are so many different opinions and sources of information. The constant barrage of "everything I bet in favor of, it all being real" creates a sense of overwhelming pressure to believe in what is presented to us. Despite this, the singer acknowledges the competing feelings inside of themselves and the struggle to make sense of it all.
The chorus plays with the idea of unity and love, asking the question "are we one?" repeatedly. The imagery of nature - the sky, trees, and ocean - lends a feeling of freedom and belonging. It seems that the singer is seeking some sort of connection, not only with nature but with another person as well. The idea of walking too close to the tides and being swept up in someone's arms carries a romantic undertone. The repetition of "are we love?" adds a layer of complexity, asking if the unity being sought after is rooted in love or simply a desire to belong.
In the bridge, the singer admits to thinking about this connection constantly, even if they try to pretend otherwise. It seems that the need for connection and understanding is too strong to be ignored. The chorus repeats once more, adding a sense of urgency and a desire for a resolution to this inner conflict.
Overall, "Are We One" explores the difficulty of understanding ourselves and others, especially in a world where there is so much conflicting information to sort through. The singer seeks love and unity, but wonders if it is even possible to truly achieve.
Line by Line Meaning
I try not to believe
I attempt to maintain skepticism
Everything I hear, everything I see
All of the information that comes my way
But it's hard with everything I bet
Yet challenging as much of it appears factual
In favor of, It all be real, yeah
Leaning towards that it's all genuine
It's hard to be in doubt with all the pieces there are to believe
Difficult to be uncertain with ample evidence to support
And it's hard not to go with everything that I'm feelin' in me
Also tough not to trust my instincts
Into the night, I'm going there to
Venturing out into the dark, I go to
Walk too close to the tides
Walk along the shoreline where waves touch my feet
To be swept up in her arms,
To surrender to the ocean's embrace
Awake and alive, I come out here to
Alert and vibrant, I come here to
Be with you one more time
Be in your presence one more occasion
In the sky, open trees
Looking up at the vast expanse of trees
In the ocean blue, everything is free
In the boundless blue sea, there exists freedom
I'm alive, with all the feeling I have in me
I'm vital, with every emotion inside me
'Cuz they are so real, yeah
Because they are so genuine
It's hard to be in doubt with all the reasons there are to believe
It's challenging to doubt with so many reasons to trust
Right now I'm gonna go with everything that I'm feelin' in me
Currently, I'm going to trust my instincts
And now I can tell you 'bout it
And now I can discuss it with you
I'll carry on like it don't exist
I'll try to ignore it
But in my heart I'm really thinkin' 'bout it
But deep down, I'm genuinely contemplating it
And I gotta let you know what it is
And I need to convey what it means to me
Are we one, are we one, are we love?
Are we united, are we united in love?
When we go walk, are we one, are we love?
As we go for a walk, are we united, are we united in love?
Are we one, are we one, are we love?
Are we united, are we united in love?
Are we one, are we one, are we love?
Are we united, are we united in love?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GILBERT VIERICH, GRAHAM WINSLOW DICKSON, SEBASTIAN ROBERT LLOYD PRINGLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Christine Addai
this just makes me want to hug a stranger and then dance with them
Ashley Rahim
I cant say this was the best song in the album because there all so good! :D
Zyania Alonzo
Still LOVE this album!
James Mata
wish there were more beautiful music like this
MolarismoVLC
TEMAZO!!!
Connor Smith
Best song on the album!
Roose Blox
just bought the album, my life is now complete
amsoide
I never buy music albums, but i'm gonna buy yours. Good Job Nunca compro álbumes de musica, pero voy a comprar el vuestro. Buen trabajo. Ya tengo banda sonora para el verano!!
lilian
I finally found it!!! :D
max schoonhoven
best of the album