CRYSTAL CASTLES 

III

[Casablanca]

On the third album by this frequently terrifying Toronto duo, all of the elements needed to make euphoric dance music are present but just out of reach. Producer Ethan Kath and singer Alice Glass are handy with the celestial synth tones and four-to-the-floor beats, but rather than party like it’s the end of the world, these electro-goth freakniks anticipate the actual coming of the apocalypse. Apparently recorded sans computers and based around the concept of oppression—an idea that lingers like toxic gas on tracks like “Kerosene” and “Mercenary”—III offers a warped and decayed take on EDM. While songs like “Violent Youth” and “Child I Will Hurt You” are gorgeous in spite of their harsh sounds and lyrics, Kath and Glass never quite ease up. This is what plays in the club after the riot police have swept in and carted everyone off to prison. –Kenneth Partridge

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