Crystal Stilts - In Love With Oblivion

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5...according to our Brian on Fri 08 Apr, 2011.

I missed these live in action the other day so only have my imagination instead of memories to go by when I dream of Frankie Rose battering her skins in a proper voodoo garage style. I think as far as forging their own creaky, dusty take on 60's flecked indie rock they've done yet another admirable job. Much like on their debut, this NY crew have penned a load of songs that seep into your mind gradually, songs that have as much in common with The Byrds & The Velvets as they have with 80s jangly dreamers Close Lobsters, the brittle sadness of some JAMC material or basically any band that have that sleepy, tangled rickenbacker element. That there's now a whole raft of bands such as The Mantles & The Fresh & Onlys writing wonderful slow-burning tunes that have a distinctly shambling, faded & ghostly aspect with those delicious spine-tingling chord changes! Not to mention probably tons of new American bands that now adopt a low, blurred funereal moan in the place of a regular vocal. That deserves a Joy Division comparison even! We only get to the single by track 7 and it comes as quite a surprise like it's dumped in there as an afterthought, like "let's put summat a bit chirpier in there!!" Forever buried under a faint veil of sonic murk, this band aren't going for the dollar like contemporaries TPOBPAH. This is the real deal, they're sticking rigidly to their guns and have recorded another shimmering, spectral classic!

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Crystal Stilts burst out of Brooklyn's storied post-punk indie scene in 2008 with a string of releases that culminated in their fantastic debut album Alight Of Night. Deftly combining the spooked 60s Texas psych of 13th Floor Elevators and Red Crayola, the gothic blues/punk howl of Gun Club, the dark, experimental DIYism of early Flying Nun/Xpressway groups and a dash of classic 60s pop by way of early Mary Chain b-sides, Alight Of Night won universal accolades and established the band as first-class purveyors of haunting, atmospheric post-punk pop. Spring 2009 saw them follow-up with the excellent 7" single of "Love Is A Wave," a live favorite that was backed with the twangy classicism of "Sugar Baby." The band toured the US and Europe, releasing Alight Of Night in the UK to yet more accolades. All the while they were writing new tunes, experimenting with new sounds and planning their next moves. October 2010 saw the release of "Shake The Shackles," the first single from Crystal Stilts' long-awaited second album and widely considered one of the finest singles of the year. In Love With Oblivion sets the bar even higher as they reach dizzying, fuzzy heights as first class purveyors of haunting, atmospheric post-punk pop. The band will be touring extensively throughout 2011 and head to the UK in March with these confirmed shows: "Crystal Stilts make terrific use of their recycled material, appropriating favorite forebears' brooding moves (and their richly endowed signifiers), and contributing their own deft hooks and stealth energy." – Pitchfork // "Quite simply, Alight Of Night is one of the most breathtaking records these ears have been partial to in a long while, and even if Crystal Stilts never make another record, their legacy is assured." - Drowned In Sound

Tracklisting:

01. Sycamore Tree
02. Through the Floor
03. Silver Sun
04. Alien Rivers
05. Half a Moon
06. Flying Into The Sun
07. Shake the Shackles
08. Precarious Stair
09. Invisible City
10. Death Is What We Live For
11. Prometheus At Large

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