Crystal Stilts: In Love With Oblivion

Crystal Stilts
In Love With Oblivion
Slumberland Records [2011]









Fire Note Says: The Crystal Stilts avoid the sophomore slump on the stylistic In Love With Oblivion!

Album Review:
What makes the Crystal Stilts so damn cool on their sophomore outing In Love With Oblivion? Is it their mysterious looks? Is it frontman Brad Hargett's murky vocals? Is it the undertone of surf guitar that circulates throughout the record? Is it that they are able to incorporate sounds of car wrecks, creaking bugs, or atmospheric tones right into the mix? I believe the answer is all of the above. The Crystal Stilts return with a record that only expands slightly from their excellent lo-fi reverbed debut Alright Of Night [2008] but drives home their cult status of swag with an increased confidence in what they are doing. The small things here help In Love With Oblivion rival the Crystal Stilts debut, as the mysterious "Alien Rivers" crosses the seven minute mark while "Silver Sun" represents one of their most pop sounding songs to date. These little risks outside their comfort zone gives In Love With Oblivion that cool edge that fans of the Crystal Stilts look for, which even includes Hargett's vocals slowly creeping a little more upfront. The rest of the record falls right in line with what we loved about their debut, although it could be argued that the songs here actually are a bit more musically tight. With another solid record in their catalog we can only guess what the Crystal Stilts will do next but be ready, because this is a band that will always be on the verge of releasing that monumental album but will be perfectly content staying with the underground!

Key Tracks: "Through The Floor", "Shake The Shackles", "Invisible City"

Bands With Similar Fire:
Bauhaus
Black Tambourine
Clinic

Crystal Stilts: Alight Of Night [Fire Note Review 12/10/08]

Cyrstal Stilts Website
Crystal Stilts MySpace
Crystal Stilts Facebook
Slumerland Records

-Reviewed by Christopher Anthony