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III (Crystal Castles album)

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Untitled

(III) is the third studio album by Canadian electronic music duo Crystal Castles. The album was released in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2012.[6][7] It was initially planned to be released on November 5, 2012 before being delayed.[8][9] Produced entirely by Ethan Kath,[7] (III) was recorded in Warsaw and mixed in London.[10] The album addresses the theme of oppression, with the musicians using different pedals and keyboards to create a diverse "palette of sound".[11][12] On October 9, 2012, the track listing for the album was revealed via the duo's official Facebook page.[13]

The album's first two singles, "Plague" and "Wrath of God", were made available for free download on the duo's SoundCloud page on July 25 and September 26, 2012, respectively.[14][15][11][8][16] The accompanying music video for "Plague" debuted on September 24, 2012 and uses footage from Andrzej Żuławski's 1981 film Possession.[17] "Affection" was released as the album's third single on October 31, 2012.[18] "Violent Youth" premiered on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show on November 1, 2012.[19]

Album artwork

The album cover features a picture by Spanish photographer Samuel Aranda. The image depicts a woman named Fatima al-Qaws holding her son, Zayed, who was exposed to tear gas during a street demonstration in Sana'a, Yemen, on October 15, 2011.[11][16]

Tour

European tour dates to promote the album were announced on October 17, 2012, on the band's official website.[20]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
The A.V. ClubC[22]
Consequence of Sound[23]
Drowned in Sound8/10[24]
The Guardian[4]
The Independent[25]
NME9/10[16]
The Observer[3]
Pitchfork Media8.0/10[5]
Slant Magazine[26]

(III) has received mostly positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 76, based on 33 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[21] Louis Pattison of the NME commented, "[I]n toning down the shock and awe, [Crystal Castles have] revealed the beating heart at the centre of their work. The message, still, is that the world is a cruel and fucked-up place. But being doomed seldom sounded so beautiful."[16] Allmusic's Heather Phares viewed (III) as the duo's "most serious set of songs yet" and stated, "Artistic progress is as much about subtraction as it is about addition, and on III, Crystal Castles have made room to be sad, angry, pretty, and danceable at the same time."[2] Pitchfork Media's Ian Cohen dubbed (III) "the duo's most focused record", adding, "While not as immediately striking as either Crystal Castles (I or II), the streamlined sound allows more maneuverability and subtle variety in the actual songwriting."[5] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard wrote that the album "continues [the duo's] creative upward trajectory by offering some of the act's most lavish pop moments", calling it "an expertly produced album that, at just nearly 40 minutes, leaves fans wanting more".[27] The Guardian's Tim Jonze argued that "Witch House is an obvious influence [on the album], and you could question whether the former chip-tune terrorists are still as ahead of the curve as they once were. It hardly matters when they can come up with stuff like 'Child I Will Hurt You', a dream-state lullaby that is both beautiful and unbearably sorrowful."[4]

In a review for BBC Music, Darren Loucaides commended Crystal Castles for "display[ing] steady progression" and opined that "[t]he ironic thing about (III) sounding so immense is that the tracks are typically less cluttered than the last two records. But the core elements are so big, like blasts of pure plasmic energy, that it sounds planet-sized."[28] Dan Pfleegor of Consequence of Sound noted that "III is less playful than the duo's previous couple of offerings, but it's thematic mood is much tighter and more fully realized."[23] Simon Price of The Independent stated that the album "shudders and shimmers like some massive, monstrous machine. But, when heard loud, the more accurate metaphors come from nature: flashes of lightning at the top end, earthquakes and landslides at the bottom."[25] Drowned in Sound's Sean Adams quipped, "[I]f iii was a pizza it would be kinda disgusting to look at, it would never really cool down and it would probably give me indigestion, but it would taste absolutely delicious."[24] In a mixed review, Jesse Cataldo of Slant Magazine described (III) as "an album of earnest, expansive electronica from a duo few are expecting such sincerity from, and it edges them directly into the middle of the road", while concluding, "In striving for something new, the duo has only found a more recognizable sort of tedium."[26] Annie Zaleski of The A.V. Club expressed, "[I]nstead of anarchist dance jams full of crunchy 8-bit noise, (III) is more like a static-filled radio station fading in and out of range." Zaleski continued, "While (III) can use this disorientation effectively [...] too often the music is irritating, not disruptive."[22] Hermione Hoby of The Observer felt that "there's very little on this third LP that could qualify as 'experimental'. Track after track leans heavily on the relentless four-to-the-floor of trance, with Alice Glass's yelped vocals muffled under a weight of sound that's simultaneously boring and abrasive."[3]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Year Rank
Hype Machine Top Ten Albums of 2012 2012 #1[29]
Pitchfork The Top 50 Albums of 2012 2012 #49[30]
NME NME's 50 Best Albums Of 2012 2012 #4[31]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ethan Kath and Alice Glass

No.TitleLength
1."Plague"4:56
2."Kerosene"3:12
3."Wrath of God"3:07
4."Affection"2:37
5."Pale Flesh"3:00
6."Sad Eyes"3:27
7."Insulin"1:47
8."Transgender"3:05
9."Violent Youth"4:22
10."Telepath"3:55
11."Mercenary"2:39
12."Child I Will Hurt You"3:33

Personnel

Credits for (III) adapted from album liner notes.[32]

  • Ethan Kath – producer (all tracks); mixing (1–6, 8–10)
  • Alice Glass – vocals
  • Samuel Aranda – cover photograph
  • Alex Bonenfant – vocal engineer (1–6, 8, 10, 11)
  • Brian Gardner – mastering
  • Jeremy Glover – vocal engineer (7, 9)
  • Jacknife Lee – synth (1, 5)
  • Lexxx – mixing (1–6, 8–10); vocal engineer (5, 11, 12)

Charts

Chart (2012) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[33] 74
Australian Dance Albums Chart[33] 7
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[34] 116
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[35] 134
Irish Albums Chart[36] 93
UK Albums Chart[37] 63
US Billboard 200[38] 77
US Dance/Electronic Albums[38] 2
US Heatseekers Albums[38] 1

Release history

Region Date Label Format
Germany[39] November 7, 2012 Universal Music Digital download
Netherlands[40]
Ireland[41] Fiction Records, Polydor Records
United Kingdom[42]
United States[43] Casablanca Records, Universal Republic Records
Australia[44] November 8, 2012 Shock Records
Canada[45] Last Gang Records CD, digital download
United States[46] Casablanca Records, Universal Republic Records CD
Netherlands[47] Universal Music
Germany[48] November 9, 2012
Ireland[49] Fiction Records, Polydor Records
United Kingdom[50] November 12, 2012
Australia[51] November 16, 2012 Shock Records

References

  1. ^ Doherty, Kelly (November 17, 2012). "Crystal Castles – (III)". AbsolutePunk. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d Phares, Heather. "(III) – Crystal Castles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c Hoby, Hermione (November 11, 2012). "Crystal Castles: (III) – review". The Observer. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c Jonze (November 8, 2012). "Crystal Castles: III – review". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved November 12, 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |fisrt= ignored (help)
  5. ^ a b c Cohen, Ian (November 12, 2012). "Crystal Castles: (III)". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  6. ^ Fitzmaurice, Larry (October 18, 2012). "Crystal Castles Push Back Album Release Date". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  7. ^ a b "Crystal Castles delay release of new album 'III' to November 12". NME. IPC Media. October 18, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  8. ^ a b Lipshutz, Jason (September 26, 2012). "Crystal Castles Announce New Album, Share 'Wrath of God' Track". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  9. ^ Murray, Robin (September 20, 2012). "Crystal Castles Complete New Album". Clash. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  10. ^ "Crystal Castles push new album release to November". NME. IPC Media. September 19, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  11. ^ a b c Minsker, Evan; Pelly, Jenn (September 26, 2012). "Crystal Castles Announce New Album, (III)". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  12. ^ Louche, Liz (September 27, 2012). "Crystal Castles announce new album, tourdates, ongoing depression". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  13. ^ Minsker, Evan (October 9, 2012). "Crystal Castles Reveal Album Tracklist". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  14. ^ "Crystal Castles – Plague". SoundCloud. July 25, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  15. ^ "Crystal Castles – Wrath Of God". SoundCloud. September 26, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  16. ^ a b c d "Crystal Castles unveil new single 'Wrath Of God' and album details – listen". NME. IPC Media. September 26, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2012. Cite error: The named reference "nme" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  17. ^ Fitzmaurice, Larry (September 24, 2012). "Video: Crystal Castles: "Plague"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  18. ^ Fitzmaurice, Larry (October 31, 2012). "New Crystal Castles: "Affection"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  19. ^ "Huw Stephens sits in". BBC Radio 1. November 1, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  20. ^ "Tour". crystalcastles.com. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  21. ^ a b "(III) – Crystal Castles". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  22. ^ a b Zaleski, Annie (November 6, 2012). "Crystal Castles: (III)". The A.V. Club. Onion, Inc. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  23. ^ a b Pfleegor, Dan (November 15, 2012). "Album Review: Crystal Castles – (III)". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  24. ^ a b Adams, Sean (November 12, 2012). "Crystal Castles – iii". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  25. ^ a b Price, Simon (November 8, 2012). "Album: Crystal Castles, III (Fiction)". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  26. ^ a b Cataldo, Jesse (November 10, 2012). "Crystal Castles: III". Slant Magazine. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  27. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (November 12, 2012). "Crystal Castles, '(III)': Album Review". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  28. ^ Loucaides, Darren (November 8, 2012). "Review of Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles (III)". BBC Music. BBC Online. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  29. ^ http://hypem.tumblr.com/post/38468735631#notes-container
  30. ^ http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/9017-the-top-50-albums-of-2012/
  31. ^ http://stereogum.com/1208412/nmes-50-best-albums-of-2012/list/
  32. ^ (III) (CD liner notes). Fiction Records. 2012. {{cite AV media notes}}: Unknown parameter |artist= ignored (|others= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |publisherid= ignored (help)
  33. ^ a b "ARIA Top 100 Albums and ARIA Dance – Week Commencing 26th November 2012" (PDF). ARIA Charts. Pandora Archive. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  34. ^ "Crystal Castles – (III)" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  35. ^ "Crystal Castles – (III)" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  36. ^ "Top 100 Individual Artist Albums". Irish Recorded Music Association. November 15, 2012. Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  37. ^ "Official UK Albums Top 100". Official Charts Company. November 24, 2012. Archived from the original on November 18, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  38. ^ a b c "Crystal Castles Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  39. ^ "(III) von Crystal Castles" (in German). iTunes Store Germany. Apple Inc. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  40. ^ "(III) von Crystal Castles" (in Dutch). iTunes Store Netherlands. Apple Inc. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  41. ^ "(III) by Crystal Castles". iTunes Store Ireland. Apple Inc. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  42. ^ "(III) by Crystal Castles". iTunes Store UK. Apple Inc. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  43. ^ "(III) by Crystal Castles". iTunes Store US. Apple Inc. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  44. ^ "(III) by Crystal Castles". iTunes Store Australia. Apple Inc. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  45. ^
  46. ^ "III". Amazon.com. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  47. ^ "Crystal Castles III | Crystal Castles" (in Dutch). Free Record Shop. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  48. ^ "Crystal Castles: (III)" (in German). Universal Music Germany. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  49. ^ "Crystal Castles – [Iii]". Tower Records Ireland. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  50. ^ "Crystal Castles: Crystal Castles (Iii)". HMV. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  51. ^ "Crystal Castles Lll – Crystal Castles". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
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