Crystal Castles (2008 album)

This article is about Crystal Castles' 2008 self-titled debut. For the self-titled 2010 album, see Crystal Castles (2010 album).

Crystal Castles
Studio album by Crystal Castles
Released	18 March 2008
Recorded	2005-2007
Genre	Electronic Experimental Noise
Length	51:55
Label	Lies, Last Gang
Crystal Castles chronology
Crystal Castles (2008) Crystal Castles (2010)
Singles from Crystal Castles
"Crimewave" Released: August 13, 2007 (2007-08-13) "Air War" Released: December 17, 2007 (2007-12-17) "Courtship Dating" Released: March 31, 2008 (2008-03-31) "Vanished" Released: June 14, 2008 (2008-06-14) "Crimewave (re-release)" Released: September 21, 2008 (2008-09-21)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
BBC	(positive) [2]
Drowned in Sound	[3]
NME	[4]
Pitchfork Media	(7.8/10) [5]
Robert Christgau	[6]

Crystal Castles is the first studio album by Crystal Castles released on the 18th March, 2008 through Lies Records. The album is a compilation of the bands previous sold-out singles, early unreleased tracks and three new songs recorded for the album. Before the album's release, the original cover, which featured Trevor Brown's black-eyed Madonna artwork, was "banned" due to distributors in the U.S. refusing to distribute a CD with Madonna's face on the cover, and its use was also not approved by Brown. The current album cover features a picture of Alice with a picture of Ethan cropped in.

Track listing

No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Untrust Us"	Ethan Kath, Death from Above 1979	3:06
2.	"Alice Practice"	Kath, Alice Glass	2:42
3.	"Crimewave"	Kath, Health	4:18
4.	"Magic Spells"	Kath	6:07
5.	"Xxzxcuzx Me"	Kath, Glass	1:54
6.	"Air War"	Kath	4:12
7.	"Courtship Dating"	Kath, Glass	3:30
8.	"Good Time"	Kath, Drinking Electricity	2:56
9.	"1991"	Kath	1:53
10.	"Vanished"	Kath, Van She	4:02
11.	"Knights"	Kath, Glass	3:13
12.	"Love and Caring"	Kath, Glass, Covox	2:18
13.	"Through the Hosiery"	Kath, Glass	3:07
14.	"Reckless"	Kath	3:28
15.	"Black Panther"	Kath, Glass	2:56
16.	"Tell Me What to Swallow"	Kath, Glass	2:14

Personnel

• Alice Glass - vocals, lyrics
• Ethan Kath - instruments, production

Samples

• "Untrust Us" samples the Death From Above 1979 song "Dead Womb".
• "Crimewave" samples the Health song "Crimewave".
• "Air War" samples the reading of a passage of Luciano Berio's "Thema (Omaggio a Joyce)"
• "Magic Spells" samples the Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five song "The Message" as well as a quote from the 1983 science fiction miniseries V.
• "Courtship Dating" samples the Health song "Courtship".
• "Good Time" samples the Drinking Electricity track "Good Times (Dance Mix)".
• "Vanished" samples the Van She song "Sex City".
• "Love and Caring" samples the kick and snare from "Sunday" by Covox, going against its Creative Commons license.
• "Alice Practice" samples the kick and snare from "Sunday" by Covox, going against its Creative Commons license.

Charts

Album charts

Chart (2008)	Peak position
French Albums Chart[7]	175
UK Albums Chart[8]	47
U.S. Top Electronic Albums[9]	6
U.S. Top Heatseekers[9]	13
U.S. Independent Albums[9]	32

Accolades

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
NME	UK	The 50 Best Albums of the Year	2008	#12[10]
NME	UK	The Best Debut Album Of The Year	2008	#1
NME	UK	The Best Albums Of The Decade	2009	#39

References

1. ^ Phares, Heather. "Crystal Castles - 'Crystal Castles'". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/album/crystal-castles-r1336179. Retrieved 17 September 2011. 
2. ^ Hammer, Sophie. "Crystal Castles: Crystal Castles Review". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/48p2. Retrieved 17 September 2011. 
3. ^ Kharas, Kev. "Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles". Drowned in Sound. http://drownedinsound.com/releases/12987/reviews/3219702-crystal-castles-crystal-castles. Retrieved 17 September 2011. 
4. ^ Naylor, Tony. "Crystal Castles". NME. http://nme.com/reviews/crystal-castles/9659. Retrieved 17 September 2011. 
5. ^ Cohen, Ian. "Crystal Castles: Crystal Castles". Pitchfork Media. http://www.pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11215-crystal-castles/. Retrieved 17 September 2011. 
6. ^ "Crystal Castles". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Crystal+Castles. Retrieved 17 September 2011. 
7. ^ http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Crystal+Castles&titel=Crystal+Castles&cat=a
8. ^ Crystal Castles Chart Stats ChartStats. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
9. ^ ^{a b c} Crystal Castles Chart History Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
10. ^ NME