YMMV / Crystal Castles (Band)

• Awesome Music: "Not in Love" definitely counts. Robert Smith of The Cure on vocals, Alice Glass' breathy ones joining in at the bridge, and Ethan Kath's newly polished production skills really make it for this one.
  • "Alice Practice," the song that introduced them to the world. Basically what would happen if you captured a chiptune band and a female fronted hardcore punk band and made them fight. It's glorious.
• Broken Base: Following Alice's departure, fans grew divided on who to side with regarding quarrels between her and Ethan. Alice claimed that Ethan stifled her creative input, while also saying she's the one who wrote most of the lyrics for the group's songs, while Ethan maintained that he's the one who has had most of the creative control, even prior to Alice joining him to form Crystal Castles (on top of mentioning how some of CC's more popular songs did not even feature Alice's vocal work).
  • The fans are also divided as to who they favour as the vocalist, Alice or Edith.
• Covered Up:
  • Their drastically altered version of "Crimewave" from HEALTH's self-titled LP is better known than the original. Compare and contrast.
  • Also happened after the release of "Not in Love," as many people didn't realize it was originally a Platinum Blonde song.
• Eclipsed by the Remix: Their remix of HEALTH's "Crimewave" was infinitely more popular than the original.
• Harsher in Hindsight: Alice's accounts of Ethan Kath sexually and emotionally abusing her give a disturbing edge to much of the band's lyrics.
• Nightmare Fuel:
  • Once again, "I Am Made of Chalk." It's probably one of the weirdest songs they've put out, consisting almost entirely of modulated wailing and screaming. The amount of speculation as to just what the song means makes it reach levels of Mind Screw equal to the work of Swans.
  • This image◊ of the two wearing weird black things on their heads, although the way their bodies are positioned definitely indicate they're staring at you.
  • The official music video for "Magic Spells". It's under a minute long and revolves around a person resting in a sleeping bag inside a cabin while a man is outside in the background. The man then enters the cabin and nonchalantly drops a cinder block on the sleeping person's head.
• Song Association:
  • "Alice Practice" and "Doe Deer" from Skins.
  • "Not in Love" from season 11 of Degrassi and FIFA 12.
  • "Through the Hosiery" was featured in Saints Row 2 via 97.6 K-12 FM radio station.
• Sweet Dreams Fuel:
  • "I Am Made of Chalk"; once you get past the chaotic opening, it morphs into a beautiful synth composition only made off-putting by the strange warbling sounds throughout.
  • "Child I Will Hurt You" is the closest that they've gotten to making a lullaby.
• Tear Jerker:
  • "Tell Me What to Swallow", a harrowing acoustic ballad with lyrics from the perspective of a victim in an abusive relationship choosing to stay. Alice's agonizing vocal delivery makes the song even harder to stomach.
  • "Child I Will Hurt You" qualifies as well, a rather soft song that sounds almost like a lullaby.
  • Crystal Castles tried several times to get in contact with a fan named Connor who was dying of cancer. He died at the age of 18 one night before a performance, and Alice proceeded to set up a shrine complete with lilies and candles on stage. Sad and touching already, but towards the end of the show, Alice broke down in front of the shrine and sobbed into the microphone while the crowd was still cheering for the show they've just seen.
  • Hearing the news that Alice was leaving the group was undoubtedly this for many, with some even going as far as proclaiming that her departure spelled the end of CC, but her allegations of Ethan sexually, emotionally, and psychologically abusing her imply that—at the very least—the two's separation was not amicable.

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