Alight of Night

Alight of Night
Studio album by Crystal Stilts
Released	October 28, 2008(US), February 19, 2009(UK)
Genre	Noise pop post-punk
Length	37:05
Label	Slumberland Records (US), Angular Records (UK)
Crystal Stilts chronology
Alight of Night (2008) In Love with Oblivion (2011)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(76/100) [1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Drowned In Sound	(9/10)[3]
Venus Zine	[4]
Last Broadcast	[5]
Mojo (magazine)	[6]
LAUNCHcast	(9/10)[7]
NME	(8/10)[8]
Pitchfork Media	(8.1/10)[9]
Urb (magazine)	[10]
Spin	[11]
Prefix	(8.5/10)[12]
Strange Glue	(9/10)[13]
The Wire	[14]
Gigwise	(8/10)[15]

Alight of Night is the debut album by noise pop band Crystal Stilts, released in 2008.^[16] "Departure" and "Shattered Shine" were released as singles. "The Dazzled" and "Prismatic Room" were also in frequent rotation on Sirius XMU around the album's release.

Reception

Heralded by critics, the album was included in Pitchfork's top 50 albums of 2008 and the NME's top 50 albums of 2009.^[17][18] It was also named album of the year by Stephen Pastel's (of The Pastels) Monorail Music in Glasgow and ranked the #2 Album of the Year by Other Music in New York City.^[19][20]

Critical Quotations

Dot Music: "Alight Of Night is a garage-weaned, art rock, squat-dirty masterpiece."^[21]

Drowned in Sound: "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."^[22]

Prefix Magazine: "Easily the most exhilarating rock 'n' roll record to emerge in 2008."^[23]

The Wire: "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' own "Brave Words."^[24]

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."^[25]

Mojo (magazine): "Alight Of Night is devoid of current context, making for a weird timelessness. A treat."^[21]

Gigwise: "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

1. "The Dazzled" – 3:56
2. "Crystal Stilts" – 2:57
3. "Graveyard Orbit" – 3:26
4. "Prismatic Room" – 3:36
5. "The Sinking" – 2:35
6. "Departure" – 4:28
7. "Shattered Shine" – 2:51
8. "Verdant Gaze" – 2:08
9. "Bright Night" – 2:22
10. "Spiral Transit" – 3:45
11. "The City In The Sea" – 4:59

Personnel

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

References

1. Critic Reviews for Alight of Night. Metacritic. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
2. Allmusic review
3. Gourlay, Dom (January 21, 2009). "Drowned In Sound review". Drownedinsound.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
4. "Last Broadcast review". Archived from the original on February 16, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
5. Venus Zine review
6. MOJO review (Metacritic)
7. 2 hrs ago (April 20, 2011). "LAUNCHcast review". Uk.launch.yahoo.com. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
8. "NME review". Nme.com. February 28, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
9. Pitchfork Media review
10. "Urb review (Metacritic)". Metacritic.
11. Everdell, Abigail (November 6, 2008). "Spin review". Spin.com. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
12. Prefix review
13. "Strange Glue review". Strangeglue.com. February 17, 2009. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
14. The Wire review (Metacritic)
15. Gigwise review
16. zhenyuga. "Alight Of Night Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
17. "The 50 Best Albums of 2008". Pitchfork.com. December 19, 2008.
18. "50 Best albums of 2009". NME.com.
19. "Crystal Stilts @ Mono, Monday 23rd Feb". Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
20. "Special Announcement". Othermusic.com. December 11, 2008.
21. "Alight of Night by Crystal Stilts". Metacritic.
22. "Review / Crystal Stilts - Alight of Night / Releases / Releases // Drowned in Sound". Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved February 28, 2009.
23. "Blog". May 3, 2022.
24. "Slumberland records: Oops".
25. "Crystal Stilts: Alight of Night - Strangeglue - Music News, Views and Reviews". Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved February 28, 2009.