Crystal Stilts - Alight of Night

It's with a little trepidation that I start this post about Crystal Stilts--the latest buzz-band from Brooklyn whose critical stock has skyrocketed so quickly that it seems almost anachronistic to question just how good these guys really are. Just about every major taste-making outlet has certified their first full-length Alight of Night a shoe-in contender for their forthcoming album-of-the-year lists, and the immortalized bands (Velvet Underground, Jesus and Mary Chain) that critics (rightfully) cite as the Crystal Stilts' influences add several additional layers of impenetrable 'cool' cred to the band's already intimidating hype.

Which is not to say I think these folks are wrong, just exaggerating. Crystal Stilts make hypnotic, strangely beautiful pop music that floats about in your head long after the songs themselves have ended. This is music to get lost in; only there's no way to do so outside of intimate, attentive, listening settings like headphones or by yourself in a quiet room. Alight of Night takes some soaking in and some perseverance, and even then the band's brooding noise-pop and off-key mumble-singing may still alienate (or simply irritate) many listeners, including yours truly at times. This is a knotty, engaging record for sure, but not the kind that has the broad appeal necessary to validate such blind hyping.

Below are two Crystal Stilts tracks: one from Alight of Night, and another from the band's self-titled EP released earlier this year, which I actually like a little better than the full length.