Nature Noir is the third studio album by Brooklyn-based band Crystal Stilts, which was released on September 16, 2013 in the UK and September 17 in the US. The album is the follow-up to 2011's In Love with Oblivion and 2008's debut Alight of Night.[11]
| Nature Noir | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 16, 2013 (UK) September 17, 2013 (US) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:34 | |||
| Label | Sacred Bones | |||
| Producer | JB Townsend | |||
| Crystal Stilts chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Nature Noir | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (73/100)[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| NME | (8/10)[3] |
| Impact |  [4] |
| Blurt Magazine | [5] |
| EMusic | [6] |
| This is Fake DIY | (7/10)[7] |
| Loud and Quiet | (8/10)[8] |
| Uncut | (7/10)[9] |
| The Fly | [9] |
| The List | [10] |
Reception
editThough met with slightly less fanfare than their first two records, the album was still received warmly by critics, many of whom praised the refinement of the bands songcraft. Again, Tim Sendra of the AllMusic Guide praised the bands evolution. He noted the "shocking amount of refurb the group did... most everywhere you look there's something happening sonically that's not happened on a Crystal Stilts record before," after earlier declaring that, "Crystal Stilts have staked out a place as perhaps the foremost purveyors of dark psychedelic pop their generation has to offer."[2] Impact called it, "their most complete effort yet; a stunning combination of 60s psychedelia, 80s post-punk and timeless noise-pop,"[12] while Doug Mosurock, after pronouncing them "the coolest '60s throwback NYC's known in some time," summed up Nature Noir as "Truly beautiful stuff from a group that only improves with each move."[13] Dean Wareham of Luna and Galaxie 500 fame said after hearing Nature Noir, "I’ve loved Crystal Stilts from their first EP and they only get better... at this point they sound only like Crystal Stilts — and are themselves objects of imitation by bands from across the pond."[14]
Track listing
edit- "Spirit in Front of Me" – 4:13
- "Star Crawl" – 3:46
- "Future Folklore" – 2:34
- "Sticks & Stones" – 2:35
- "Memory Room" – 3:37
- "Worlds Gone Weird" – 2:49
- "Darken the Door" – 3:51
- "Electrons Rising" – 3:03
- "Nature Noir" – 2:48
- "Phases Forever" – 4:18
Personnel
edit- Brad Hargett – vocals
- JB Townsend – guitar , producer
- Kyle Forester – keyboards
- Andy Adler – bass guitar
- Keegan Cooke – drums
- Al Carlson, Davey Jewell, Josh Bonati – recording, mastering, mixing
- New Day – cover art
References
edit- ^ Critic Reviews for Nature Noir. Metacritic. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ a b "Nature Noir - Crystal Stilts | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ "NME review". NME.
- ^ "Impact review".
- ^ Mills, Fred. "CRYSTAL STILTS - Nature Noir". Blurt Magazine.
- ^ EMusic review
- ^ This is Fake DIY review
- ^ "Loud and Quiet review". Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
- ^ a b "Nature Noir by Crystal Stilts" – via www.metacritic.com.
- ^ "Crystal Stilts - Nature Noir". The List. September 18, 2013.
- ^ Pearis, Bill (July 18, 2013). "Crystal Stilts announce new album, Nature Noir | News Article". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
- ^ "Album Review: Crystal Stilts – 'Nature Noir' ‹ Impact Magazine". www.impactnottingham.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014.
- ^ "Nature Noir – Other Music". Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
- ^ "Crystal Stilts: Nature Noir - Sacred Bones Records - New York, NY, NYC". Sacred Bones Records. September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "Albums Of The Year". The Fly. December 17, 2013. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014.
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