Crystal Castles II

Crystal Castles II is the second studio album by Canadian electronic music duo Crystal Castles, released on May 24, 2010 by Fiction Records and Last Gang Records.[4][5] The album was initially scheduled for release on June 7, 2010; however, the release dates were moved forward after the album leaked online, thus a digital version of the album was released on April 23, 2010.

Crystal Castles II
Studio album by Crystal Castles
Released	April 23, 2010 (2010-04-23)
Genre	Synth-pop[1] noise pop[2] experimental[3]
Length	52:54
Label	Fiction Lies Last Gang
Producer	Alex Bonenfant Paul Epworth Ethan Kath Jacknife Lee
Crystal Castles chronology
Crystal Castles (2008) Crystal Castles II (2010) III (2012)
Singles from Crystal Castles II
"Celestica" Released: April 17, 2010 "Baptism" Released: July 26, 2010 "Not in Love" Released: December 6, 2010

On April 25, 2011, the album was reissued digitally under the title (II), which replaced the original version of "Not in Love" with the version featuring Robert Smith.[6]

Background

The album was recorded by Ethan Kath in a variety of locations including an abandoned church in Iceland, a self-built cabin in northern Ontario, a garage behind an abandoned drug store in Detroit, as well as Paul Epworth's London studio.[7] Of the experience, Kath said, "I recorded most of the record in the coldest winter in decades in a church without heat in Iceland. It was so cold that when I listen back I can hear myself shivering. I chose it because it felt right".[8] In December 2009, Kath gave vocalist Alice Glass a CD-R containing 70 instrumental tracks, for which she then recorded vocals on 35 tracks.

In order to promote the album, the band released the first single "Celestica" in April and an EP titled Doe Deer was released only a few days later. In May the band physically released the album. The album reached number 48 on the UK Albums Chart and number 188 on the US Billboard 200.[9][10] Later on in December, the duo's cover of the Platinum Blonde song "Not in Love", featuring guest vocals from Robert Smith of The Cure, was released as the album's third single. The single became Crystal Castles' highest-charting single to date.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.2/10[11]
Metacritic	77/100[12]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[13]
Billboard	[14]
The Guardian	[15]
Los Angeles Times	[16]
NME	7/10[17]
Pitchfork	8.5/10[18]
Q	[19]
Spin	8/10[20]
The Times	[21]
Uncut	[22]

Crystal Castles II received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 77, based on 24 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[12] Daniel Brockman of The Boston Phoenix praised the band for creating "a dense-yet-airy thicket of pure pop transcendence." MusicOMH also gave an extremely positive review, describing the album as "bold, dramatic, more than a little screwed-up and stunningly exciting statement." Pitchfork rated the album 8.5 out of 10, and awarded it their "Best New Music" accolade.

Commercial performance

As of July 2012, Crystal Castles and Crystal Castles II had sold a combined 174,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. [23]

Accolades

The album was a longlisted nominee for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize.[24]

Publication	List	Rank
Drowned in Sound	Albums of the Year 2010[25]	18
musicOMH	Top 50 Albums of 2010[26]	33
NME	75 Best Albums of 2010[27]	31
Pitchfork	The Top 50 Albums of 2010[28]	34
	The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far (2010–2014)[2]	65
PopMatters	The 70 Best Albums of 2010[29]	51
Rough Trade	Albums of the Year (2010)[30]	35
Slant Magazine	The 25 Best Albums of 2010[31]	6
Spin	The 40 Best Albums of 2010[32]	21
Stereogum	Top 50 Albums of 2010[33]	12

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Fainting Spells"	Ethan Kath Alice Glass	Kath	2:44
2.	"Celestica"	Kath Glass	Kath Paul Epworth^[a]	3:48
3.	"Doe Deer"	Kath Glass	Kath	1:38
4.	"Baptism"	Kath Glass Luke Leeder	Kath Jacknife Lee	4:13
5.	"Year of Silence"	Kath Sigur Rós	Kath	4:54
6.	"Empathy"	Kath Glass	Kath Alex Bonenfant	4:11
7.	"Suffocation"	Kath Glass	Kath Lee	4:02
8.	"Violent Dreams"	Kath Stina Nordenstam	Kath	4:35
9.	"Vietnam"	Kath Nordenstam	Kath Lee	5:08
10.	"Birds"	Kath Glass	Kath	2:31
11.	"Pap Smear"	Kath Glass	Kath	3:43
12.	"Not in Love"	Mark Holmes	Kath Lee	3:33
13.	"Intimate"	Kath Glass	Kath	4:45
14.	"I Am Made of Chalk"	Kath	Kath Epworth^[b]	3:09

Big Day Out edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
15.	"Not in Love" (featuring Robert Smith from The Cure)	3:48
16.	"Celestica" (Bear in Heaven Remix)	3:29
17.	"Celestica" (Thurston Moore Remix)	3:51
18.	"Baptism" (No Age Remix)	4:18
19.	"Baptism" (Punks Jump Up Remix)	5:03
20.	"Suffocation" (Memory Tapes Remix)	5:09
21.	"Mother Knows Best"	2:01
22.	"Insectica"	1:49
23.	"Seed"	1:44

Notes

• ^{^a} signifies an additional producer.
• ^{^b} signifies an additional vocal producer.

Sample credits[34]

• "Year of Silence" contains a sample of "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur" by Sigur Rós.
• "Vietnam" and "Violent Dreams" contain a sample of "A Walk in the Park" by Stina Nordenstam.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Crystal Castles II.[34]

Crystal Castles

• Ethan Kath – production (all tracks); mixing (tracks 2, 3, 12–14)
• Alice Glass – vocals

Additional personnel

• Lexxx – vocal recording (track 1); mixing (tracks 1, 4–11)
• Paul Epworth – additional production, vocal recording (track 2); guitar solo recording (track 10); additional vocal production (track 14)
• Matthew Wagner – vocal recording (track 3)
• Jacknife Lee – production (tracks 4, 7, 9, 12)
• Alex Bonenfant – vocal recording (tracks 4, 7, 10, 11); production (track 6); mixing (tracks 7, 13); guitar recording (track 10); drum recording (track 13)
• Christopher Chartrand – drum solo (track 13); live drums
• X Tecumseh Clark – cover model
• Todd Tamanend Clark – photograph
• Marc Pannozzo – band photo
• Nilesh Patel – mastering

Charts

Chart (2010)	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart[35]	25
Irish Albums Chart[36]	56
Scottish Albums Chart[37]	54
UK Albums Chart[9]	48
UK Dance Albums Chart[38]	8
US Billboard 200[10]	188
US Dance/Electronic Albums[39]	6

References

1. Zaleski, Annie (November 6, 2012). "Crystal Castles: (III)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
2. "The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far (2010–2014)". Pitchfork. August 19, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
3. Young, Alex (May 3, 2010). "Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles (II)". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
4. Dombal, Ryan (2010-04-13). "Crystal Castles Announce Second LP | News". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2011-08-30.
5. "New album "II" tracklist". Crystalcastles.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-25. Retrieved 2011-08-30.
6. "( II ) by Crystal Castles". iTunes Store. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
7. "2nd album update". Crystalcastles.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-30. Retrieved 2011-08-30.
8. http://straightfrommyblood.tumblr.com/post/4638114971/i-recorded-most-of-the-record-in-the-coldest
9. "Crystal Castles" (select "Albums" tab). Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
10. "Crystal Castles – Chart history: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
11. "Crystal Castles by Crystal Castles reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
12. "Reviews for Crystal Castles [2010] by Crystal Castles". Metacritic. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
13. Phares, Heather. "Crystal Castles (II) – Crystal Castles". AllMusic. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
14. Lipshutz, Jason (June 16, 2010). "Crystal Castles, "Crystal Castles"". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
15. Hann, Michael (May 20, 2010). "Crystal Castles: Crystal Castles". The Guardian. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
16. Brown, August (June 1, 2010). "Album review: Crystal Castles' 'Self-Titled (II)'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
17. Mackay, Emily (May 3, 2010). "Album Review: Crystal Castles – 'Crystal Castles' (Fiction)". NME. Archived from the original on May 7, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
18. Cohen, Ian (April 29, 2010). "Crystal Castles: Crystal Castles". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 29, 2010.
19. "Crystal Castles: Crystal Castles". Q (288): 129. July 2010.
20. Reeves, Mosi (June 8, 2010). "Crystal Castles, 'Crystal Castles' (Fiction)". Spin. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
21. "Crystal Castles: Crystal Castles". The Times. May 22, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
22. "Crystal Castles: Crystal Castles". Uncut (158): 104. July 2010.
23. Lipshutz, Jason (25 July 2012). "Crystal Castles Return With New Track, 'Plague': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
24. "Blue Rodeo, BSS on Polaris long list". The Globe and Mail, June 17, 2010.
25. Adams, Sean (December 2, 2010). "Drowned in Sound's albums of the year 2010: 50–11". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
26. "musicOMH's Top 50 Albums Of 2010: The Complete List". musicOMH. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
27. "75 best albums of 2010". NME. November 22, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
28. "The Top 50 Albums of 2010". Pitchfork. December 16, 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
29. "The 70 Best Albums of 2010". PopMatters. December 23, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
30. "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. 2010. Archived from the original on November 18, 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
31. "The 25 Best Albums of 2010". Slant Magazine. December 14, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
32. "The 40 Best Albums of 2010". Spin. December 6, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
33. "Stereogum's Top 50 Albums Of 2010". Stereogum. December 8, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
34. Crystal Castles II (liner notes). Crystal Castles. Fiction Records. 2010. 2740407.CS1 maint: others (link)
35. "Crystal Castles – (II)". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
36. "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 27 May 2010". Chart-Track. Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
37. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. May 30 – June 5, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
38. "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. May 30 – June 5, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
39. "Crystal Castles – Chart history: Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2016.