Reviewed by: Cole Schroder-Kelly
Score: 6.5/10
Though some were unsure if Crystal Castles would continue after vocalist Alice Glass’ departure, their first album with new singer Edith Frances shows an evolution of the band’s sound. Though Glass was important as a face and emotion through the band, the main job fell to producer Ethan Kath to introduce the intense and imaginative sounds we have come to expect. “Amnesty(1)” was no exception, and though not a complete reinvention of the band, it definitely served as a stepping stone to new sounds.
Each song brings a specific nuance to the album. Starting, it seems as if “Amnesty (1)” will retain an easy listening, however by track two, it jumps straight into the intensity we come to expect from Kath. As the album built, so did the anger and force of each song, until the end when it mediated out. By track 10, Crystal Castles seemed to find a euphoria between belted intensity and quiet contemplation, which I wish they had kept earlier in the album.
“Amnesty (1)” lacks slightly the direct intensity of Crystal Castles’ previous albums, but the quiet and subtle force is just as powerful, and even a little more moving. Overall the album serves to be a rising power of personal experiences, lightly falling together, in a conglomerate of creative editing.
FCC: Clean
RIYL: Metronomy, Phantogram, Kap Bambino
Favorite Tracks: 1, 3, 6, 7, 10
