Crystal Stilts: Radiant Door EP

Crystal Stilts’ previous albums swirled together ’60s pop and garage, deadpan Joy Division vocals from lead singer Brad Hargett, and sonic murk, and their latest EP, Radiant Door, is no different. The EP begins with ’60s organ, hand claps, and acoustic strums; a simple, stripped-down drum kit pounds throughout; it ends with a slow ballad that pays homage to the Velvet Underground with a guitar riff very close to “Some Kinda Love” (from Lou Reed and co.’s third album). The Stilts cover of “Still As the Night”, originally written by Lee Hazlewood, works well. Those dark vocals and the eerie theme of the song perform well in tandem, but it’s also slightly amusing, as if Hargett is in on the joke. If you like Crystal Stilts previous output, you’ll enjoy the Radiant Door EP, a pleasant excursion through their comfort zone.