"Crimewave" | ||||
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Single by Crystal Castles vs. Health | ||||
from the album Crystal Castles | ||||
B-side |
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Released | August 13, 2007 | |||
Recorded | 2006; The Exchange, Maidstone, England [1] | |||
Genre | Electronic, chiptune | |||
Length | 4:18 | |||
Label | Last Gang, PIAS | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ethan Kath, Benjamin Miller, Jake Duzsik, John Famiglietti, Jupiter Keyes [2] | |||
Producer(s) | Ethan Kath | |||
Crystal Castles singles chronology | ||||
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Health singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Alternative cover | ||||
"Crimewave" is a song performed by Canadian experimental band Crystal Castles and American noise rock band Health from Crystal Castles' self-titled debut album. The song acts as both Crystal Castles and Health's debut singles in addition to being the first single from the album Crystal Castles . It was first released on August 13,2007 by Trouble Records,accompanied by the B-side "XxzxcuZx Me". The song is a re-working of the Health original track of the same name written by the band members of Health for their eponymous debut album. It was re-written by Ethan Kath of Crystal Castles. Kath also produced the re-worked track. The song contains prominent electro and chiptune musical characteristics.
"Crimewave" achieved critical praise from most contemporary music critics. Critics complimented the song's originality and the emotion it brought to the electronic music scene. The single was accompanied by a music video upon its re-release in 2008. The track was performed by Crystal Castles at the All Points West Music &Arts Festival in 2009. [3]
"Crimewave" was used in Gossip Girl No.1 and features on its companion soundtrack, OMFGG –Original Music Featured on Gossip Girl No. 1 , [4] and was later featured on the in-game radio for the 2016 video game Watch Dogs 2 .
Originally written and composed by the members of Health for their self-titled debut album,"Crimewave" was re-written and re-worked by Ethan Kath of Crystal Castles to act as both bands' debut singles as well as the first single from Crystal Castles' self-titled debut album. The reworking significantly lengthened the original song while retaining the prominence of the original vocals by Health.
After originally being released on August 13,2007,as a single backed with Crystal Castles' "XxzxcuZx Me","Crimewave" was re-released on September 21,2008, [5] to coincide with Crystal Castles' North American tour with Health, [6] again in single form but with Crystal Castles' "Alice Practice" replacing "XxzxcuZx Me" as the B-side. The single's cover artwork was also modified for the re-release,with the white background being replaced with a black background.
Musically,"Crimewave" builds from now-retro electroclash to a clattering mix of drums. [7] The song consists of simple,catchy beats backed by lively video game sounds. [8] "Crimewave" was composed as breezy,off-kilter electropop. [9] Paul Lester from The Guardian likened "Crimewave" to the sound of Ian Curtis from Joy Division intoning blankly over Kraftwerk at their most synthetic. [10] The song consists only of the following lyrics which are repeated vocally by Health in monotone throughout the song:"Eyes lit on sharp threats from dark lips,but lights press the soft skin to rough hands". [11] "Crimewave" follows a chord progression of Em,C,Am,Bm,Em,C,G,Bm. [12] "Crimewave" is set in the time signature of common time with an uptempo metronome of 121 beats per minute. [13]
Mehan Jayasuriya of PopMatters positively reviewed the "Crimewave" saying that it "might be a remix,but it sure as hell doesn't sound like one,a testament to the fact that keyboard wizard Ethan Kath manages to dress the song up in the Castles' trademark icy hedonism." [14] Brian Reid of Prefix Magazine commented that "Crimewave" shows the depth of Crystal Castles as much more than just a dance-focused electro band. Reid went on to say:"On the tail end of 'Crimewave,' Kath lets vocal loop persist while knocking the bottom out of the track,resulting in a moment of startling beauty." Reid also said that "Crimewave" allows its listener to hear an emotive digital voice display a fragility usually lacking in electronic music. [15] Colm Larkin from Clash reviewed the "brilliant track" saying:"Amongst a luxurious electro bassline,measured beat and achingly pretty electronic melodies,the robotic voice is scratched and split so the pleading words take on a monotonous,unknowable tone. The result combines cool electronic detachment with an undercurrent of torrid emotion,like hearing a robot plead for its life. Yet there's also that beat that helps you forget the blubbering tin man and want to dance to genuinely innovative and exciting electronic music that does have a heart." [16] Andy Peterson from Contactmusic.com said that "Crimewave" made Crystal Castles "critically untouchable". [17] The track was also highlighted as one of the album's strongest elements by Jamil Ahmad of musicOMH . [18] The song was further deemed as one of the best dance tracks of the decade by Ricardo Baca of The Denver Post . [19]
In October 2011, NME placed the Crystal Castles song at number 149 on its list of "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". [20]
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Crimewave":
"Du riechst so gut" is a song by German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. It was released the band's first single on 24 August 1995,also acting as the lead single from their debut studio album,Herzeleid (1995). The song describes the inner thoughts of a predator hunting his prey. The title is said to be inspired by Patrick Süskind's Perfume,a favourite novel of Till Lindemann's,the band's lead singer. The single was re-released in 1998 under the name "Du riechst so gut '98",featuring a different edit of the song and a new music video.
Crystal Castles was a Canadian electronic music group formed in 2006 in Toronto,Ontario,by songwriter-producer Ethan Kath and singer-songwriter Alice Glass. Crystal Castles was known for their chaotic live shows and lo-fi melancholic homemade productions. They released many limited vinyl singles between 2006 and 2007 before releasing four studio albums between 2008 and 2016.
Alice Practice is the debut extended play (EP) by the Canadian electronic music duo Crystal Castles. It was released on July 9,2006,through Merok Records. The release was limited to 500 copies on 7" vinyl and sold out in three days.
Jezper Söderlund,better known by his main stage name Airbase,is a Swedish record producer and electronic music artist. His experimentation with electronic music began in 1994 after he was introduced to a digital sequencer application called Scream Tracker. Since 2004,he's been using Ableton Live as his sequencer of choice and he's also known for posting HD tutorials on YouTube with various tips and tricks on how to make the most of Ableton Live.
Health is an American industrial/noise rock band from Los Angeles,California. The band currently consists of drummer B.J. Miller,vocalist and guitarist Jake Duzsik,and bassist and producer John Famiglietti. It formerly also included Jupiter Keyes,who left in 2015. Originating from the Los Angeles underground experimental music community,they gained prominence with a remix of "Crimewave" by Crystal Castles before releasing a self-titled album in 2007.
Crystal Castles is the debut studio album by Canadian electronic music duo Crystal Castles;at the time of its release,the group consisted of producer Ethan Kath and singer Alice Glass. The two met each other in 2004 and both had an interest in noise acts like AIDS Wolf &The Sick Lipstick. This inspired the two to start a noise music project,but instead of guitars,they would use electronic sounds made with a circuit-bent Atari 5200–which effectively led to the media pigeonholing the act as chiptune,despite the fact that the members themselves didn't deliberately intend this.
"Beeper" is the debut single by British music duo the Count &Sinden,featuring vocals from American hip hop artist Kid Sister. The song was released via Domino Records in April 2008.
Health//Disco is a remix album by American noise rock band Health. It features remixes of songs from their debut album Health.
Margaret Osborn,known professionally as Alice Glass,is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is the co-founder and former frontwoman of the electronic band Crystal Castles. In 2014,she embarked on a solo career. She released her eponymous debut EP in 2017. Her solo debut album,Prey//IV, was released in February 2022.
Claudio Paolo Palmieri,known professionally as Ethan Kath,is a Canadian musician. He was the co-founder and songwriter/producer for Crystal Castles and bassist of Kïll Cheerleadër and Die Mannequin.
"The Dull Flame of Desire" is a song recorded by Icelandic singer Björk featuring Anohni from the band Anohni and the Johnsons. It was released as the fifth and final single from her sixth full-length studio album,Volta,on 29 September 2008. She sang it twelve times on her global Volta tour,often with Anohni.
"Vanished" is a single by Crystal Castles. It was released on Play It Again Sam Records on July 21,2008,despite the fact that the release was supposed to be cancelled. The band did not want to release the song as a single and did not approve of the track listing or the artwork. "Tell Me What to Swallow" beat demo was a rejected remix by a French producer,not produced by Ethan Kath,but somehow the song appeared on the release. The vocals are sampled from the track "Sex City" from Van She.
"Dimmi come..." was the first single released by the Italian singer Alexia from her fifth studio album Alexia.
Crystal Castles is the second studio album by the Canadian electronic music duo Crystal Castles,released on May 24,2010,by Fiction Records and Last Gang Records. The album was initially scheduled for release on June 7,2010;however,the release dates were moved forward after the album leaked online,thus a digital version of the album was released on April 23,2010.
Health::Disco2 is a remix album by American noise rock band Health. It features remixes of songs from the album Get Color by various artists,as well as one new track by Health.
"Celestica" is a song recorded by the Canadian electronic band Crystal Castles for their second studio album,Crystal Castles (2010). After a BBC Radio 1 premiere,it was released on April 16,2010,as the first single from the album,being later accompanied by a music video. According to member Ethan Kath,the track was inspired by a suicide at the Celestica factories in Canada. Critics cited the song as a shift from Crystal Castles' usual sound,presenting a pop sound and resembling shoegaze. Others highlighted its melody and member Alice Glass' vocals. It was considered one of the best songs of the year by NME,while Pitchfork named it as one of the best tracks between 2010 and 2014 and among the best Crystal Castles songs.
CFCF is the stage name of Canadian electronic musician/vocalist Michael Silver. Based in Montreal,Silver took the name CFCF from the call sign of the city's CFCF-TV. Silver's work oftentimes involves themes of nostalgia.
"Not in Love" is the 1983 Platinum Blonde song "Not in Love",covered twice in 2010 by Canadian electronic music duo Crystal Castles. Of their cover versions,the second one –a re-recording that features English musician Robert Smith of the Cure –is much more widely known. Crystal Castles' first cover version appeared on their second studio album,Crystal Castles (2010),and the version with Robert Smith was digitally released as a single on October 26,2010. Although the album version was generally seen as unexciting,the version with Smith was named one of the best songs of 2010 by multiple publications. It appeared in the main charts of Australia,Belgium,Denmark,Scotland,and the United Kingdom,and was certified gold by Music Canada.
The discography of the Canadian electronic duo Crystal Castles consists of four studio albums,fourteen music videos,one extended play,seventeen singles,and ten remixes.
"Baptism" is a song by the Canadian electronic duo Crystal Castles,released as the third single from the duo's second studio album,Crystal Castles II (2010),on July 26,2010. A music video was released on October 8,2010. Crystal Castles performed the song at Jimmy Kimmel Live! in December.
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