Send "Crystal Stilts " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 Crystal Stilts have always been ahead of the contemporary indie pop learning curve. When most of their peers were products of the widely beloved C86 tape in 2008, the Brooklyn quintet was namedropping the Clean cofounder David Kilgour's the Great Unwashed. The components that make their sound are fastidiously plucked from early-1980s Manchester (Joy Divison) and New Zealand (the Clean, the Chills), late-1960s New York (the Velvet Underground), and-- in cases including but not limited to singer Brad Hargett's hair-- early Bob Dylan. But influence doesn't mean anything if it's not siphoned into something worthwhile, and Crystal Stilts do much more than sit on their first-edition copies of Flying Nun vinyl and collect cool points.Their debut album Alight of Night found them firing off shimmering guitar lines and then simmering into a thick haze, alternating between sunny afternoon clang and after-hours sulk. Using his voice as another instrument instead of a vehicle for dynamic singing or pseudo-profound lyrical messages, Hargett's deep baritone blends low into the mix, the use of reverb rivaling that of an epic fantasy movie narrator. The album was used as the foundation for this year's In Love With Oblivion, though that newer collection was a fuller-sounding affair, more urgent in places ("Shake the Shackles"), more daring in others ("Alien Rivers"), and filled with pop tunes brimming with life from corner to corner. Crystal Stilts are a band that doesn't have much use for empty space-- most of the silence gets chased away by the blasts of trebly volume. Radiant Door is not a radical departure from that default sound; its Kilgour Brothers-indebted style makes it safe to assume kiwi is still the most important item on their tour rider. But not all groups have to rely on the benefit of reinvention. The non-vocalists of Crystal Stilts are incredibly good at adding a Technicolor flair, crafting arrangements so colorful that they often veer into kaleidoscopic territory. Two of the five songs on the EP feature the quintet nakedly putting its record collection at the forefront of its consciousness, this time in the form of recorded covers. The band's take on Blue Orchids' "Low Profile" is a key example of this; it's faithful enough to the original to be recognizable, but the Stilts' heavy lifting-- as it mostly always does-- comes from keyboardist Kyle Forester and guitarist/co-songwriter JB Townsend, the former turning in a simple-but-catchy three-note riff, the latter sounding like he's been planting Joshua Trees around Brooklyn....full text |
| Popmatters |
| Crystal Stilts’ previous albums swirled together ‘60s pop and garage, deadpan Joy Division vocals from lead singer Brad Hargett, and sonic murk, and their latest EP, Radiant Door, is no different. The EP begins with ‘60s organ, hand claps, and acoustic strums; a simple, stripped-down drum kit pounds throughout; it ends with a slow ballad that pays homage to the Velvet Underground with a guitar riff very close to “Some Kinda Love” (from Lou Reed and co.’s third album). The Stilts cover of “Still As the Night”, originally written by Lee Hazlewood, works well. Those dark vocals and the eerie theme of the song perform well in tandem, but it’s also slightly amusing, as if Hargett is in on the joke. If you like Crystal Stilts previous output, you’ll enjoy the Radiant Door EP, a pleasant excursion through their comfort zone....full text |
| Earbuddy |
| Crystal Stilts’ new EP Radiant Door starts off with what could be the soundtrack for an independent movie trailer. The hand claps and organ punctuation of “Dark Eyes” is imaginable as background fodder for quirky, eccentric characters walking in downtown New York while flashes of critical praise in white text over a black background are interspersed throughout. Brad Hargett’s normal monotone singing is intact, yet he seems more spirited, adding a joyful urgency. In combination with the critical praise, there’s enough flash to make you want to check out the full movie, not in theaters, but on DVD. However, dependent on your enjoyment of idiosyncratic films, you may discover that it doesn’t live up to the critics’ hype or that perfectly fitting song. Radiant Door, much like my anecdote about an overpraised indie flick, doesn’t fully live up to the critical praise bestowed upon the band or that stellar opening track. Crystal Stilts have been hit or miss for me since they first appeared with their self-titled EP. Their sound comes from the dark underground of the Brooklyn music scene, though, with each new release, more sunlight seems to be creeping in. It’s not a bad thing by any means because “Dark Eyes” benefits from it greatly. Guitarist and producer JB Townsend seems to be the driving force behind the change because Hargett sounds dreary as usual. Some of that is partially a production effect as Hargett’s voice always sounds covered in a thick fog. It allows the instrumentation to shine in the forefront, and chalk up Crystal Stilts as one of the many bands making the organ a cool instrument to incorporate....full text |
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