Brooklyn’s Crystal Stilts road a wave of garage-praise for their garage-sound as part of the garage-rock breakout of the borough – but with 2011’s In Love With Oblivion (QRO review) the group suffered the backend of critic-love, as they no longer sounded original, but instead just a repeat of what was new five minutes ago, has since been overplayed, and now you’re sick of. Thankfully, they’re not repeating themselves ad nauseam like sister act Vivian Girls (QRO album review – they both poached – and then lost – drummer/now singer/guitarist Frankie Rose – QRO photos), but are trying to grow while staying in the fifties fuzz on Radiant Door EP.
The five-song EP opens with organ-fuzz and handclaps in the procession “Dark Eyes”, and the first & last of those three elements form the core of Door (no more claps, though). The keys – always a hidden strength to the Stilts, especially live where keyboardist Kyle Forrester plays the engaging personality while singer Brad Hargett & guitarist JB Townsend hide behind their shades, hair, and fuzz – enable the Stilts to break out of the garage-box that they’d found themselves in, though perhaps play it a bit too much (three of the five tracks on Radiant), averaging at just over five minutes each. But there’s also the nice mid-century garage-pop reverb of the title track and the garage-haunt love lost piece “Still As the Night”.
At only five songs, Radiant Door is still just an introductory stab at a new angle for Crystal Stilts, and the quickly released EP could have used more polish. But it’s more interesting and original than the horse they had been riding too hard. Here’s hoping for a second wave of style for the Crystal Stilts.
MP3 Stream: “Still As the Night“
