DEATH RAY

 

It's been a good year so far, or as far as gigs are concerned. Even though my knowledge of (good) modern music is rudimentary at best, I know a great band when I hear it.

Crystal Castles are one of my favorite bands at the moment, and despite the fact that they polarise opinions and many consider them to be just a 8-bit fad for the hipsters, I found their idiosyncratic, shambolic, noisy blend of electro and no wave (look it up motherfucker) very intriguing from the very first time I heard them.

CC remind me of Suicide quite a lot. Abrasive, in your face, synths meant to offend and enchant. Like Alan Vega and Martin Rev, Ethan Kath and Alice Glass make music that is sometimes absolutely beautiful, sometimes brutal. Their stuff can make you dance or feel uneasy.

CC pulled off quite a feat last year with their second album avoiding the sophomore slump and gaining even more approval than their debut. I've got to say I'm a bit disappointed because of the lack of the noisier rave-ups. I mean, the poppier electro songs are catchy as hell, but the brilliantly grating, punishing sound of songs like "Alice Practice", "Love and Caring" and "Xxxzcuzxx Me" with Glass's screeching vocals were the thing that got me interested in them in the first place.

Although "Baptism" is an almost perfect combination of their noisy and catchy side, my favorite track from the second album is "Doe Deer". Like Suicide, it's punk without the "three chords and a mohawk"- cliches.

So, pretty excited about tomorrow's gig. I think it's going to be good. DEATH RAY.

 

Here's a great clip from the documentary "Punk: Attitude" about Suicide and how influential they were. Some great previously unseen live footage of the band performing the classic "Ghost Rider".