In music, break ups are the hardest part. Every year bands part ways but some can be bitter pills to swallow. LCD Soundsystem in 2011 was a tough one. The Silver Jews in 2009? Don't remind me. Now, Crystal Castles called it quits this week, and that's a real shame.
An ex-girlfriend introduced me to Crystal Castles in 2012, right before the duo, Ethan Kath and Alice Glass, released their third and final album Crystal Castles III. I'm not exactly sure what originally made me like them so much. Maybe it was how their name was a reference to Masters of the Universe or how it reminded me of a most excellent arcade game. Experimental electronic music certainly wasn't my thing before, but somehow Crystal Castles was different.
I've played tracks like "Crimewave," "Untrust Us," "Suffocation," and "Not In Love" on endless loop on several occasions. The band had a way of being playful, catchy, ethereal, and chilling all in one, which is what made their albums so great. I even bought tickets to see them at a show five hours away in Lawrence, Kan., but a transportation mishap postponed the show indefinitely. Now not seeing that show hurts in the worst of ways.
Luckily, we still have three great albums that will endure well beyond the band's decade long lifespan as well as future work from Kath and Glass, and that will have to be enough. [ Spotify]