Crystal Fighters – Earth Island

April 20, 2012

This song is rated: 2 Pills – intermediate musicologist level

Hi there, Dr. Whuzzerface here!

I’ve been on a sort of folk kick recently in my personal music perusals (could be due to the fact that I went and saw Andrew Bird in concert) so when I came across a band with a style described as folktronic, I knew I had met the genre of my dreams. Folk AND electronic can exist in the same song? H yeah, and the Crystal Fighters are just the band to slay any reservations you may have about trying it out. The more I read about Crystal Fighters, the more I wish I could join their band. You see, although their name sounds sci-fi-aristic, it was actually a name inspired by one of the members reclusive grandfathers, who had written a partial opera in a secluded part of Basque toward the end of his life.  When going through his belonging after passing away, she found this incomplete work and enlisted the help of her friends, and future band-mates, to finish it. Undertaking this endeavor, they also discovered folk instruments of the Basque region that they have since incorporated into their electronic brilliance.

If I were to quickly describe this song, I would say it sounds like a mix between Prince and Asteroid Galaxy Tour. Yeah, I just said that. Really though, it starts off with pizzicato strings, followed by the most riotin’ pitch-bended organ I’ve ever heard. I’ve probably listened to this song about 30 times today alone and the thing that stood out most to me in the lyrics is that, in a matter of speaking, this isolated planted we live on is an island, so yes, I do live an island-lifestyle. Boo ya.

Last thing…. last TWO things I will say. There is a specific instrument called the txalaparta I want to you listen for around 1:36 (it’s literally wooden planks on a sawhorse, but it’s another Basque folk instrument they utilize a lot). The second thing is to make sure your neck is loosened up because this song is a headbanger! There, have fun!!