Crystal Castles – S/T (2010) [Fiction] // Grade: A

The new Crystal Castles isn’t quite the old Crystal Castles. They share a name, a screech, a certain squeal, but where 2008′s CC went straight for the jugular—all jagged beats and bone-crunching synths, a hysterical Alice Glass pummeling you on some personal vendetta—this year’s is a sneak attack. A wolf in sheep’s clothing, cozy and nuzzling, before suddenly stabbing you in the face.

Which isn’t to say the Canadian electro-punk duo’s embracing downtempo or chill, or even amping up their production to be proper techno, but comparatively—I mean, listen for yourself. Before washing into a fit of distortion, “Celestica” is almost as smooth as, like, Stereolab. And “Empathy” feels straight-up AGF/Delay, with heady blips and hollow vocals all but reaching for BPitch. Crystal Castles II isn’t just some punk kids fucking around with weirdo gear to approximate the hell noise in their heads; it’s careful and considered, substantially more cohesive than all that. Still a four-to-the-floor synth assault for sure, but with the band’s signature rawness paced for maximum impact.

And the album totally hits harder because of it. For every sweet-smooth “Celestica”, there’s a “Doe Deer” or “Pap Smear”—screaming demons easily squeezable into 2008′s CC. The see-saw’s a little less pronounced this time ’round, but it’s just as disorienting. Not to mention skilled enough to fight off any previous and/or impending backlash; the band’s got a nasty history of cancelled shows and critics calling bullshit, but listen: they’re just fucking good. Gorgeous, bratty and back again—a wolf shrugging out of his sheepsuit for only a sec, then climbing in again to lure you from hiding. And you’ll always go back, because this wolf? Seriously worth the stab in the face.

- Rue Sauvage