Crystal Stilts

In Love With… Crystal Stilts

In Love With Oblivion

Slumberland Records

Grade: C+

Sounds Like: The Raveonettes, The Jesus and Mary Chain

On paper, Crystal Stilts’ newest album, In Love With Oblivion, seems like it would be an interesting aural experience for listeners. Harkening back to the gloomy sounds of mid-to-late-’80s noise-pop bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain but with a more modern, technically advanced twist, Crystal Stilts should give listeners an intriguing variation on the noise-pop and shoegaze genres.

But In Love With Oblivion falls short of the promise. The problem is that, upon first listen, Crystal Stilts is nothing but white noise. The album has enough going on musically to pique interest, but not to sustain it. It’s true that, after several listens, the album begins to grow on you. But in this day and age, that often isn’t enough to entice listeners to buy it.

Songs like “Shake the Shackles” and “Through the Floor” break out from the general noise malaise with good, poppy beats that draw the listener in. But when lead singer Brad Hargett’s voice breaks in, the contrast between the catchy rhythm and his monotonous style of singing causes a break in the flow. The band struggles to marry the two as previous noise-pop incarnations have done better. Though the songs can be enjoyed individually, as a whole, the album is headache inducing.

For current fans of noise-pop and shoegaze, In Love With Oblivion is definitely worth a listen. But for those who have never been a fan of the genre, it’s not likely that this Crystal Stilts’ production will turn anyone into an enthusiast.