Album review: Crystal Castles build up the tempo with Amnesty(I)

Amnesty (I)

Crystal Castles

Fiction Ricords, Casablanca Records

Three stars

Electro-punk noisemakers Crystal Castles return with a line-up that's 50 per cent new and a sound that's still 100 per cent uncompromising. Original vocalist Alice Glass left amid reports of acrimony in 2014, and on Amnesty (I), producer-maestro Ethan Kath is joined by new singer Edith Frances.

The essentials of Crystal Castles’ ethos remain. Frances’s vocals – ranging from ethereal to insistent – counterpoint Kath’s sonic assault on an album that blends electronic bleeps, industrial screeches and the human voice to often unsettling effect.

The title seemingly refers to the human rights organisation Amnesty International, and the lead track is Femen, a mix of synths, electro beats and snatches of choir that might reference the Ukrainian feminist group of the same name.

Or maybe not. Crystal Castles are reluctant to explain their work, leaving listeners to decide whether to be infuriated or intrigued by what they hear.

On Fleece, Frances sings words of love over jagged noise, while Enth sounds like techno night in an imploding nightclub.

Energy builds to the up-tempo Kept – the nearest thing here to a party anthem – before the gentle closer, Their Kindness is Charade.

For fans, the album will likely be a welcome return. Listeners less familiar with Crystal Castles may find themselves puzzled, provoked, shaken and even stirred.

artslife@thenational.ae