ALBUM REVIEW: CRYSTAL FIGHTERS

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RAVE
RELEASE: MAY 27TH 2013

If you’re looking for an album to make you feel like you’re at some kind of beach party dancing in a coconut bra (yes, even the dudes) then Cave Rave is it. Crystal Fighters have produced an album which is less edgy than their first but has enough of their genre-bending brilliance to capture you until the end.

After tirelessly touring Star of Love the folktronica five-piece have taken note of which tracks translate best in their live show, and kept this in mind whilst creating Cave Rave. First single You and I is impossibly catchy and festival anthems like Love Natural and LA Calling dominate the album.

Opener Wave perfectly embodies what the album is all about: spirited summer tracks which still honor the bands Basque influence. While addition of new world instruments like the txalaparta and txistu (and no we don’t know how to pronounce either) give their meshing of world and dance music a new angle.

There is less diversity present on Cave Rave than their previous records, with Bridge of Bones the only slower song. Older fans might miss Cyrstal Fighters punchier tendencies and the lack of synths, but this more focused effort has the potential to open the band up to a whole new audience.

Crystal Fighters are at their best performing live and this album will no doubt give them plenty of material to add to an already vibrant catalogue. And provide the perfect soundtrack for the next time you feel the urge to wear a coconut bra (no judgement).

We had a chat with the band back in May, if you missed it catch up here.