''Alight of Night'' is the debut album by

noise pop Noise pop is a subgenre of alternative and indie rock that developed in the mid-1980s in the United Kingdom and United States. It is defined by its mixture of dissonant noise or feedback with the songcraft more often found in pop music. Shoegazi ...

band

Crystal Stilts Crystal Stilts is an American post-punk band from Brooklyn, New York City, United States, though their founding members, Brad Hargett and JB Townsend, were originally from Florida. History Crystal Stilts was formed in 2003 by Brad Hargett and JB ...

, released in 2008. "Departure" and "Shattered Shine" were released as singles. "The Dazzled" and "Prismatic Room" were also in frequent rotation on

Sirius XMU SiriusXMU (formerly XMU, and known as Sirius U on Sirius Canada, although Sirius receivers list it as Sirius XM U) is an indie pop, indie rock, unsigned artist music channel on XM Satellite Radio channel 35 (previously 43). On November 12, 2008, ...

around the album's release.

Reception

Heralded by critics, the album was included in

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

's top 50 albums of 2008 and the

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

's top 50 albums of 2009. It was also named album of the year by Stephen Pastel's (of

The Pastels The Pastels are an indie rock group from Glasgow formed in 1981. They were a key act of the Scottish and British independent music scenes of the 1980s, and are specifically credited for the development of an independent and confident music scen ...

) Monorail Music in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and ranked the #2 Album of the Year by

Other Music Other Music was a music retail store that sold CDs, records and cassettes online and at their brick-and-mortar location in the Noho neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The store specialized in the sale of closely curated underground, rar ...

in New York City.

Critical Quotations

Dot Music: "Alight Of Night is a garage-weaned, art rock, squat-dirty masterpiece."

Drowned in Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History ''D ...

: "Quite simply, Alight Of Night is one of the most breathtaking records these ears have been partial to in a long while, and even if Crystal Stilts never make another record, their legacy is assured." Prefix Magazine: "Easily the most exhilarating rock 'n' roll record to emerge in 2008."

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The ...

: "Crystal Stilts have created one of the most perfectly formed reconciliations of classic rock swagger and zoned dreampop... This is one of the best garage pop sides since

The Chills The Chills are a New Zealand rock band that formed in Dunedin in 1980. The band is essentially the continuing project of singer/songwriter Martin Phillipps, who is the group's sole constant member. For a time in the 1990s, the act was billed a ...

' own "

Brave Words ''Brave Words'' is an album by New Zealand group The Chills, released in 1987. It was produced by Mayo Thompson Mayo Thompson (born February 26, 1944 in Houston, Texas, United States) is an American musician and visual artist best known as ...

." Strangeglue: "Crystal Stilts have created a record that has truly astounded this writer. A debut with this much promise should not be kept in the dark, it should be shown to the world as an example of how to do it right."

Mojo (magazine) ''Mojo'' is a popular music music magazine, magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, initially by Ascential, Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer Verlagsgruppe, Bauer. Following the success of the magazine ''Q (magazine), Q'', publisher ...

: "Alight Of Night is devoid of current context, making for a weird timelessness. A treat."

Gigwise ''Gigwise'' is a British online music news site that features music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets and video content. Founded in June 2001, the site is based in London, England. History Gigwise was launched in 2001 ...

: "With Alight of Night we see glimpses of a new intelligence that divides them from the 80's contemporary... it'd be hyperbolic to try and claim Crystal Stilts are revolutionaries of their genre but they're playing new tricks and they're all the better for it."

Track listing

# "The Dazzled" – 3:56 # "Crystal Stilts" – 2:57 # "Graveyard Orbit" – 3:26 # "Prismatic Room" – 3:36 # "The Sinking" – 2:35 # "Departure" – 4:28 # "Shattered Shine" – 2:51 # "Verdant Gaze" – 2:08 # "Bright Night" – 2:22 # "Spiral Transit" – 3:45 # "The City In The Sea" – 4:59

Personnel

* Brad Hargett – vocals * JB Townsend – guitar * Kyle Forester – keyboards * Andy Adler – bass

References

{{Authority control 2008 debut albums Crystal Stilts albums Slumberland Records albums