Just listened to the Frankie Rose solo album.. it's okay, nothing special. I know she was/is (?) in that Crystal Stilts band too but I haven't heard any of their stuff. Describe them to me.
Frankie rose Was never an important part of the group and was there for only 1 EP which was a demo and promotion of their music. She never handled any writing, nor was she the face of the band officially. In fact, she isn't in any of the ''official'' band pics on their website.
About Crystal stilts, I have written about the band in my blog so I'll just copy and paste (if you are interested in reading in blog its
faridmon.blogspot.co.uk)
A band that delves into the topic of space and time, albeit with a lot more abstract and psychedelic intentions is Crystal Stilts. Listening to these blissful Brooklyn Punks takes you back on a journey of 40 years that spans the most obscure styles and musical deliverance of those eras. The first time you listen to their debut album ''Alight of Night, you would think you were taken back to 1986, with those undecipherable, husky, echo filled vocals smeared through dirty and chaotic Lo-fi post-punk, production value of exactly £0 and a music that relies on distorted music that is heavily driven by guitar noises and impeccable background vibrations and blurs. Then you got the next album In Love with Oblivion and you suddenly feel the collision of 1965 and 1975 with its groovy base, more revereb infused vocals and a sound which is drenched with Post-Punk Gothicism and Soul Psyche, that is both revering and repulsing. Add to the fact the whole album have an air of heavy psychedelic Noir with its deliberate rhythmic dub along with heavy dose of Proto-punk mentality, and you have a very moody and melancholic psychedelia. And now you have their new album Nature Noir which is a little more dreary than moody but equally buoyant with a heavy influence of 90s noise pop and No Waves hefty infused abrasion. You can numerate so many classic bands that influence their music but it doesn't even tell half of the story about these blokes. Because they have this strange way of merging styles and genres that are seen as abrasive and unattractive and somehow make music out it. Good Music is always the result which is difficult thing to achieve. Therefore labelling them as a mere revivalist band is quite reductionist and, frankly, ignorant statement.
Re-reading the paragraph above gives me headache since it doesn't make sense, but again, describing and writing about Crystal Stilts is the most challenging thing ever, because they are the weirdest band ever to combine so many obscure shit in their music. Lets start by stating facts shall we; Well Crystal Stilts are 6-member band that started out in Brooklyn, New York and released EPs and Singles to single handily promote their music in their heyday. Labels wouldn't take them; even Independent labels thought they were too obscure and abstract. They started their activity in 2003 and played heavily around New York just to gain audience attention. Formed by Brad Hargett and JB Townsend and later expanded to five members (Kyle Forester, Andy Adler, and Keegan Cooke) after they released one single and an EP before signing to Slumberland Records in the US and Angular Recording Corporation in Europe and releasing their critically acclaimed debut, Alight of Night, in 2008. For 5 years, they played their heart out, releasing and self-publishing songs and printing them on their own.
On the first listen its easy to see where they are coming from. A lot of comparisons have been made to The Scottish classic band The Jesus and Mary Chain and the American Shoegaze archetypal For Against with their notorious combination of Post-Punk and Shoegaze and with their moody, haunted style that could be very well be a soundtrack to a Gothic Noir movie. Then on a further listen you can see how they are shaped by No Wave acts such DNA and Sonic Youth with their abrasive and experimental nature. Then you kick yourself for not having them compared With Pavement as their Lo-fi signature becomes obvious. Having formed in the early 00s, you cant help but also noticing a strong Noise-pop vibe which was popular amongst indie American bands such as Ringo Deathstarr and No Age. Needless to say, on each and every subsequent listen you start to notice various styles and influences emerging from their music. Now that, my friend, is true art! Not to mention that they are as friendly as human can be, and do not look neither act like Gothic ansgty teenagers. On the contrary, they appear to be normal, middle aged looking dudes that you can hang out with a pint and all. That says it all.
Top tracks to recommend: Flying into the Sun, Departure, Sycamore Tree, Star Crawl, Shake the Shackle, The Dazzled, Alien Rivers, Prometheus At Large, Invincible City, Converging In the Quiet
To be fair, I can never blame you if you dont find this band attractive just because how niche their sound is. Its quite abrasive and very deliberate. Even for me, it took me quite a while to warm up to them. In fact I hated the first Album when I first listened to it. However, if you can tolerate a little spiciness in your music life, then yes, this band is great. I would really recommend their second album in love with Oblivion as I consider it one of the best album that year for its wonderfully haunted nature and its underhand groove that comes with the bass and a lot of deliberate Jingles and bells. Its just a wonderfully delivered album. They are available everywhere, even in your nearest indie record shop. So add little nuance to your life with a little haunted premise with Crystal Stilts!