Crystal Stilts - Love is a Wave [Single]

Angular

June 25, 2009, 09:32 PM

Views: 454   Comments: 6

I first encountered Crystal Stilts when they supported The Black Lips in Manchester earlier this year, and the two bands proved to be pretty much polar-opposite. While The Black Lips fully engaged with the crowd (singer/guitarist Cole Alexander even danced on top of the bar at one point) and looked genuinely thrilled to be doing what they do, resulting in the crowd giving as much back to them (much to the security’s chagrin), Crystal stilts looked as though they worked in a call centre and David Beckham was next in the queue – I’ve seen jigsaws induce more excitement.

So how do they fair on record? Well to be honest I would have been surprised if they suddenly came across like Red Hot Chili Peppers in terms of enthusiasm, but then that band prove that you can have all the spirit in the sky but it won’t make you a good band, and indeed Crystal Stilts sound as engaged on record as they do live. The strange thing is though, as when I saw them live, their music definitely has appeal - perhaps it’s just wasted on them to perform. “Love is a Wave” is two minutes (you see, they are too bored to even write a full song) of Jesus & The Mary Chain’s brand of Spector- pop. There’s no point in denying it, that’s exactly what it is, which of course is no bad thing providing you like J&TMC of course, and you’d be a fool not to really.

B-side “Sugar Baby” is equally as charming, although it walks through different Doors to get there. Singer Brad Hargett adopts his best Morrison-croon to accompany the psychedelic organ line, albeit Morrison on his drug comedown, rather than his high. It’s a shame that Crystal Stilts give off the impression of trying to be too cool for school, as their music may well be strong enough to do without such a misguided leg-up, and in the end it actually comes across as just too schooled for cool.

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