Sculpture Magazine

The first time I heard the Crystal Stilts I couldn't believe that this British sounding band came from Stateside.  Actually, from my old hood in Brooklyn, New York.  However, after hearing bands like The Stills from Canada try so hard to sound like the Lower East Side, perhaps location is in sound only.           

Intentionally haunting guitars accompanied by dark, baritone vocals. if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Ian Curtis must be rich with sincerity.  The Crystal Stilts lift liberally from Joy Division, or even Interpol, but not quite as convincingly as their peers.  While the sound is there on songs like "The Dazzled" and "Departure", the lyrics lack in substance giving way to an overall hollow impression.  However, when the band shifts into a more straightforward '60s garage rock songs like,  "Prismatic Room" and "Shattered Shine" that the band's original talent 'shines' through.            

Rumored to have been discovered by The Clean's drummer, Harmish Kilgour, The Crystal Stilts, have made an impressive, if not entirely original, debut.  Here's hoping Brooklyn's output can surpass their British influence.

Track List

01. The Dazzled           

02. Crystal Stilts                       

03. Graveyard Orbit                                   

04. Prismatic Room                                                           

05. SinKing           

06. Departure                                               

07. Shattered Shine           

08. Verdant Gaze                       

09. Bright Night                                                           

10. Spiral Transit                                                           

11. The City In The Sea