ONE of the most eagerly awaited electronic releases of the last two years finally arrives - have Crystal Castles lived up to their immense hype?
Crystal Castles have in turn been praised for their originality and condemned as derivative, but the truth lies somewhere in between.
The Canadian duo have clearly absorbed a heady mix of influences, with this album veering from techno to chilled acoustic soundscape, with fragments of noise-pop and 80s synths scattered throughout.
More important, though, is the chiptune sound that courses through Crystal Castles' veins.
Music made to sound like the glitchy soundtrack of a C64 or Gameboy game has been done before, but rarely is it done well enough to sustain interest across 16 tracks, or with such effectively integrated - if almost indecipherable - vocals.
And rarely are chiptunes as good as Air War, as joyful as Black Panther, as painfully addictive as Alice Practice, as relentless Crimewave or as darkly romantic as Courtship Dating.
Truly excellent.
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