“Comedown Machine” is indebted to summery ‘80s pop (suggested by almost-title-track “’80s Comedown Machine”) rather than the rough-edge ‘70s garage/punk sound that drove The Strokes’ still-great debut. It’s a bit stale compared to the breath of fresh air of Is This It, but it’s not fair to criticise an album for what it isn’t, and…
When I first experienced the transcendent bliss of Loveless, the record was grown-up, eighteen years having passed since its difficult birth. It sent me on a desperate, fruitless search to find something comparable, downloading anything described as “shoegaze” or “dream pop” …but Loveless proved frustratingly inimitable. So it was with some trepidation that I purchased…
The abrasive attitude that was so exciting about Crystal Castles’ early work has faded away on (III) in preference of a dreamier sound. If their debut was a grimy in-your-face concert, this album is a cold labyrinth, Alice’s voice coming from the depths, buried under sinister swaths and pulses of sound. (III) embraces complexity that…
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