Crystal Fighters : 'Xtatic Truth'
Released: Out Now
Label: Kitsune
Basque/London folktronica five-piece Crystal Fighters’ first single, ‘Xtatic Truth’, is an immediately enchanting listen. At times delicate and otherworldly, at others like some sort of manic blizzard of rave abandon, this single really stands out for its originality. The group, who are currently based in London, are tipped to hit it big this year, with their next single, ‘I Love London’, to be released in September. But how have this band, who only formed in 2007, made such great waves so quickly?
Aside from pouring everything they have into their raucous live shows, I think the likelihood of their success is partly due to their being part of the genre ‘folktronica’. This seems to be a blessed pigeonhole. The humanisation of electronic music via the inclusion of acoustic instruments leads to artists being hailed as ‘organic’, as is often claimed of Kieran Hebden, a.k.a. Four Tet. Hebden ties the real world elements of his music to the electronic by the way he ‘chaotically’ arranges synthesised squeaks and bleeps. Crystal Fighters, on the other hand, have used synthesisers to back the sampled pi’pa and zil cymbals. The piece then becomes all-electronic as it enters the chorus. To me, the effect is not as neatly unified as Four Tet’s, but then this contrast makes them starkly different to other folktronica. The electronic elements of Crystal Fighters’ music sound punchy, betraying their allegiance to the London underground scene, and are again refreshing in the context.
So all in all, then, I applaud the use of interesting sounds, but think the link between the exotic acoustic and more familiar electronic palettes could be stronger. It’s a pretty minor gripe though: they’re on to a winner!
Watch The Video Here...
Words: Christopher Cook
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Reply #1 on : Tue June 16, 2009, 11:56:41