Brooklyn’s Crystal Stilts opened for punk pop Swedish quartet Love Is All on Wed, Dec 10th at La Sala Rossa.  Performing songs both from their EP and full-length Alight of Night, two things were confirmed during the show: 1) the Crystal Stilts have a penchant for writing eerie, addictive pop songs, and 2) the lyrics are definitely unintelligible.Without any contrived effort, these guys manage to put on a sweet show.  Onstage, the band members (vocalist Brad Hargett, drummer Frankie Rose, guitarists JB Townshend and Andy Adler)  are seemingly blaze and indifferent, yet the music speaks for itself, transporting you to the best of sixties rock, but with an indescribable quality that’s novel and ingenious.  In fact, vocalist Brad Hargett’s weary detachment complements the sound perfectly.  The mood wouldn’t be the same without it.  Exuberant, chipper vocals would be completely out of place in this haunting, magnetic acoustic space.

Eerie and charismatic, Crystal Stilts create compelling, potent songs.  A couple people from the crowd noted that the show lacked entertainment value.  As always, over-the-top histrionics are required by some to call it an enjoyable show.  Well, you won’t find that at a Crystal Stilts performance, but you will walk away having discovered a collection of songs you can have on repeat for days on end.  We chatted with Crystal Stilts after the show.  Here is what ensued:

Trendwhore: What toys are on your wish list this year?
Brad Hargett: A TV, a desk, a bed. I have none of those things.  A house.
JB Townshend: Optimus Prime.
Andy Adler: A set of golf clubs.

Trendwhore: What’s the most challenging thing about DIY culture?
BH: The hardest thing about the DIY venues is not being able to smoke outside.  You gotta pretty much take a train to smoke a cigarette and then take a train back to the venue.

 Trendwhore: Are you sick of people talking about your unintelligible lyrics?
 BH: No, I don’t care. That’s how I want it to sound.  I don’t want to be an acoustic singer/songwriter that’s focussing on the words. I mean, lyrics are important for me when I write them, but I like the way they sound.

Trendwhore: If you were a secret agent, what would your mission be?
BH: To kill important people.
AA: It would be like [the movie] “Top Secret” with Val Kilmer.
JBT: To go to Cuba in 1962, kick ass, and take a lot of names, including Fidel Castro.

From the looks of it, the crowd completely cleaned up the Crystal Stilts merch table,  After their Dec 17 show in New York with Vetiver, these guys will be touring Europe through February and March.

You can purchase their album Alight of Night here.

Setlist:

1. City n’the Sea
2. Thru the Floor
3. Untitled New Song
4. Shattered Shine
5. Crippled Croon
6. Sycamore Seeds
7. Until My Friends Are Free
8. Love Is A Wave

We got word of this auction from War Child:

This week War Child presents a killer exclusive auction item: Fly-away to see KINGS OF LEON in New York City. Hot on the heels of their latest album, Only By The Night, Kings of Leon have been selling out shows across North America, the UK and around the world. Missed them in Toronto? Well, here’s your chance to see Caleb, Nathan, Jared and Mathew at Madison Square Gardens in New York City. This exclusive experience includes return airfare for two from Toronto to New York City, two nights in a Manhattan hotel and two tickets to the Kings of Leon show at Madison Square Garden on January 29, 2009. Bid quickly as this item will only be up for one week.

Click here to start bidding now! The retail value of this item is: priceless. War Child Canada is a registered charity which provides opportunities and long term solutions for war-affected children, focusing on education, strengthening children’s rights, reducing poverty and fostering self reliance. War Child Canada works in partnership with local people and organizations to build sustainable programming that empowers children and their communities.

Following the release of their self-titled EP with their debut full-length Alight of Night, Brooklyn-based mood rockers Crystal Stilts create haunting pop songs that are unpretentious and pure. Garnering comparisons to Jesus & Mary Chain and the Velvet Underground, they are master recyclers of vintage rock, yet their own take on things is simple, novel, and downright awesome.  Alight of Night is the kind of album you can play throughout, each song being, if not great, at least listenable.  

Plenty of mentions have been made of frontman Brad Hargett’s ambiguous (read: barely intelligible) vocals. True, his vocal style is weary and unruffled and his delivery is nonchalant, yet this is part of the stylish charm, the lackadaisical confidence that says: “We don’t aim to impress. We aim..” Well, maybe there is no aim to speak of, except for rockin’ out in their Brooklyn garage, creating genuine, authentic post-punk pop (or whatever label justifies this masterful collection), and being completely unassuming about it all.

“Crystal Stilts”, “The Dazzled”, “Shattered Shine” from Alight of Night, as well as “Crippled Croon” and “Converging in The Quiet” off their self-titled EP are guaranteed pleasers.  You can listen to track samples here.

Apparently, the story goes that after one of their early shows, The Clean vocalist/drummer Hamish Kilgour helped the Crystal Stilts out after being smitten by their live performance. And Vivian Girls former member Frankie Rose chose to focus her energies on being a drummer for Crystal Stilts, having been inspired by their songs.  

Alight of Night was released on the Slumberland label - a suitable name for a record label that supports the Crystal Stilts’ languid, hypnotic jangling pop-rock songs that magnetically hold your attention and are sure to be a classic.

Crystal Stilts open for Swedish punkers Love Is All @ Sala Rossa on Wed, Dec 10th.  If you’re into music, you won’t be disappointed!

The fact that the title of this post is completely ridiculous is overshadowed by the fact that Franz Ferdinand is playing La Tulipe tonight.  Enjoy!