Crystal Castles

Crystal Castles set album release date

Fusing low-res electronic noise and pop hooks so effortlessly that it can seem accidental, Crystal Castles began as producer/multi-instrumentalist Ethan Kath’s solo project in late 2003. Kath got the moniker from the name of She-Ra’s dwelling in the -He-Man and -Masters of the Universe cartoon series; it’s also the name of a 1983 !Atari video game, which is oddly appropriate, considering that one component of the band’s distinctive sound comes from a keyboard modified with an !Atari 5200 sound chip. When Kath collaborated with singer Alice Glass on some songs in spring 2005, Crystal Castles’ lineup was complete. One of the songs the pair recorded, “Alice Practice,” was something of an accident: it was intended to be a demo of Glass testing out a microphone, but its presence on /MySpace piqued record labels’ interest. “Alice Practice” was released as a limited-edition 7″ in summer 2006 on Merok Records, also home to Klaxons; its 500-copy run sold out in three days. The duo worked on their own songs and also honed their remixing skills, tweaking songs for Klaxons as well as GoodBooks, Uffie, Health, and Bloc Party. Tours with the Presets and Metric in 2007 set the stage for the release of Crystal Castles’ self-titled debut album, which Last Gang released early in 2008. Crystal Castles set new album release date. Crystal Castles have revealed details of their new self-titled album. “Crystal Castles” is due for release on June 7th. Crystal Castles have sold over 200,000 copies of their uncompromising, independently-released debut album, which NME included in their “50 Best Albums of the Decade”. The antisocial duo of Ethan Kath and Alice Glass have created an unexpected level of excitement and cult loyalty, clocking up a staggering 50 million plays on MySpace and Lastfm and headlining sold out tours around the world. Produced by Ethan Kath, tracks were recorded and written in contrasting environments around the world, including a church in Iceland, a self-built cabin in Ontario, and a garage behind an abandoned convenience store in Detroit. The new LP will be preceded by a limited 12″ vinyl release of “Doe Deer” on Record Store Day, followed by the single “Celestica”.

La Roux announces November tour

La Roux’s third single ‘Bulletproof’ went straight in at #1 in the UK top 40 last week, her debut album ‘La Roux’ entered at #2 yesterday with 63,000 sales. Of all the pop debutantes perched on the edge of success as 2009 began, La Roux – AKA 21 year old South Londoner Elly Jackson – is currently the only one to be commanding such genuine mass crossover appeal. Her music is as likely to appear on urban blogs, as it is to be blazing out of cars and over summer parks from Radio 1 or pounding out of Shoreditch clubs. This spring she headlined the sold-out NME Radar tour, which, considering the previous year’s headliners were art-punk dilettantes Crystal Castles, pays great testament to both La Roux’s credibility and broad appeal. After all, not many artists headline an alternative music tour while sat at the top of the charts. This self-possessed young girl, poised beneath an extraordinary gravity defying hair sculpture, making music that looks backwards to leap forwards, has leapt beyond her electropop contemporaries with the raw confessional quality of her songwriting and the sharp sophistication of her through-the-looking-glass 80s aesthetic. La Roux seems to know exactly who she wants to be and is fully aware she’s already achieving it with ease. After playing to a packed out dance tent at this years Glastonbury and a rip-roaring album launch show at the Forum last week – Elly Jackson is pleased to announce a series of live shows this coming November.

Live dates are:

12/11 Dublin, Academy
13/11 Leeds, Stylus
14/11 Newcastle, University
16/11 Glasgow, ABC
17/11 Nottingham ,Rock City
18/11 Birmingham ,O2 Academy
20/11 Bristol ,O2 Academy
21/11 Manchester, Warehouse*
22/11 Norwich, UEA
24/11 Southampton, Guildhall
25/11 London, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire

Twin Atlantic confirm T In The Park

Glaswegian alt-rockers Twin Atlantic who are currently recording with John Travis (The Answer, Kid Rock, Sugar Ray) in Los Angeles, have been confirmed for this years T In The Park Festival. The band who played a much talked about set at last years event, on the T Break stage – a platform for unsigned Scottish acts, have made the impressive progression to the Futures stage at this years event. Singer/Guitarist Sam McTrusty says, “We’re all over the moon to be playing T In The Park this year. It’s a dream come true, you always aspire to play your home festival and to be invited back again is a real honour for us.” The quartet perform on Saturday 11th July. Other acts already confirmed for the Futures stage include Crystal Castles, Fight Like Apes, Little Boots and The Virgins. For more on Twin Atlantic, please see: http://www.myspace.com/twinatlantic.