III

**Over the years, there are certain expectations which have become associated with Crystal Castles. It is expected that they’ll push the boundaries and deliver something which is altogether unexpected, unique and ground-breaking, with effective and powerful shock tactics that invite their audience to share in something revolutionary. However, with the release of their third album, something altogether different, though not necessarily interesting, has been produced. **

The opening track ‘Plague’ manages to make it believable that Crystal Castles have dragged their creative boundaries kicking and screaming into 2012 and with it a sense of excitement, as the barely audible vocals of Alice Glass ooze their way into the track slowly but surely. With this relatively un-dramatic entrance, it’s expected that something more is going to come -.except that it isn’t, and this ‘moment’ never comes. Both ‘Kerosene’ and ‘Pale Flesh’ suffer from the same problem and illustrate how Crystal Castles struggle to strike a balance between their original style and what they want to achieve with this album. This results in an album that’s good but awkward to listen to.

Nevertheless one track, ‘Child I Will Hurt You’ stands out as a track and is the only track on the album that really does push the band’s creative boundaries, with its touching sense of innocence and toned down melodies, it shows how much the band could have achieved.

Altogether ‘III’ really emphasises the ‘lo’ of Crystal Castles’ ‘lo-fi’ genre and whilst it differs from their other work by being been stripped back to its minimal form, which in some ways is refreshing, it still begs the question: is this what you want from Crystal Castles, a band known for having their set curtailed at Glastonbury for Alice Glass’ onstage ‘antics and put on some of the most controversial shows ever seen? The answer is no, we want something new, exciting and distinctive.

**MP3:** ‘Child I Will Hurt You’
**Similar To:** White Ring, You Love Her Coz She’s Dead