Crystal Castles: Crystal Castles II

Label: Universal Motown

The galvanizing Canadian noise-dance duo Crystal Castles is developing a saner, less abrasive side on its second album (which technically is self-titled, but since its first album, a collection of singles, was also self-titled, you know...II). Which isn't to suggest that you won't find serrated noise to spasmodically dance along to here: album opener "Fainting Spells" and the gasping-for-air "Doe Deer" each come hard and distorted. But despite titles such as "Violent Dreams," "Pap Smear" and "Suffocation," most of II finds Ethan Kath and Alice Glass moving toward a center that, for them, could be seen as the best of both worlds: shimmering synthetic melodies that rise to almost unbearable heights without that attacking stance. Check out the glisteningly chilly "Not in Love" and "Baptism," on which aggressive staccato synths enter and depart, leaving space for a coolly aloof yet still fist-pumping beat. Strangely alluring, II could be the sound of a band knocking down the crystal walls its early singles had established. (M.L. Thrope)