''Cave Rave'' is the second studio album by English/Spanish

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

band

Crystal Fighters Crystal Fighters are an English-Spanish electronic music band, formed in 2007, in London, England, and in Navarre, Spain. Their debut album, ''Star of Love'', was released in October 2010 in the UK and was released in the US through Atlantic Re ...

, released on 24 May 2013 on their label, Zirkulo. The album consists of a mix of genres from Basque folk to straight electronic and dubstep. It was preceded by the official release of the single "You & I" as well as the airing and/or online streaming of the first four tracks

Development

The album was recorded in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. It was produced by

Justin Meldal-Johnson Justin Meldal-Johnsen (born March 26, 1970) is an American musician, record producer, songwriter and musical director. He is best known for his work with artists such as Beck, Paramore, Nine Inch Nails, M83, Air, and St. Vincent. Meldal-Johns ...

, and mixed by

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work. Life and career M ...

in LA.

Artwork

The album artwork was created for the band by artist

Paul Laffoley Paul Laffoley (August 14, 1935 – November 16, 2015) was an American visionary artist and architect from Boston, Massachusetts. Biography Paul Laffoley was born on August 14, 1935, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to an Irish Catholic family ...

, and was unveiled on

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

's Life + Times website on 18 February 2013

Release

The band released a preview clip of "Wave" on 6 February 2013. On 18 February, they announced the release of Cave Rave, a larger tour in Europe and a tour across North America, and posted the song ''Separator'' on YouTube

The official video for "Separator" was posted on YouTube on 8 April. The official video for "You & I" was posted on YouTube on 23 April. The track "LA Calling" was streamed on the official Crystal Fighters website on 14 May. "You & I" is the album's official lead single. The song was debuted on BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe show as the "Hottest Record in the World"

Subsequently, it has been added to BBC Radio 1's playlist and 3FM in the Netherlands' playlist as MEGAHIT. The video was directed by Elliot Sellers and was premiered on Vice Noisey

Sunless 97 remix was premiered on FADER (magazin

and Gigamesh remix was premiered on Vibe Magazine

On 14 May 2013 ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' announced Crystal Fighters plans to hold a 'Cave Rave' in the heart of the Basque countryside on 29 August 2013

"LA Calling" was the second single to be aired from the ''Cave Rave'' album. ''The Guardian'' published a link to "LA Calling" on 13 May 2013

"You & I" was added to

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

's B List on 5 June 2013.

Composition

On 9 May 2013, on

This Is Fake DIY ''DIY'' is a United Kingdom-based music publication, in print and online. Its free print edition is released monthly with a physical circulation of 40,000 in UK venues, clubs and shops. DIY Magazine ''DIY'' was launched in 2002 by then-editor ...

, lead singer Sebastian Pringle gave a track-by-track guide to the albu

Critical reception

The album was positively received by critics. upon release.

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

newspaper called the album "overwhelmingly infectious" in a 4/5 review; The Line of Best Fit awarded the album 8.5/10 and called it "a delirious pleasure"; The 405 website said it "a perfect companion for sizzling meat and endless sunsets"; Aesthetica called it "a collection of enlightening anthems that will inspire listeners to keep dancing all night"; The Big Issue said the album is "like an upbeat Arcade Fire";

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

said the album is "bursting with so much life and euphoria." The ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' described the album as "...abound of a deep love of Basque culture and the occasional splash of tequila. Take this CD on holiday, or, even better, see them live."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits for ''Crystal Fighters'' adapted from liner notes. ;Crystal Fighters * Crystal Fighters – additional production * Sebastian Pringle – vocals, acoustic guitar, backing vocals, bass guitar,

charango The charango is a small Andean stringed instrument of the lute family, from the Quechua and Aymara populations in the territory of the Altiplano in post-Colonial times, after European stringed instruments were introduced by the Spanish during c ...

, classical guitar, electric guitar, kalimba, keyboards, percussion, programming, txalaparta, txistu,

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

* Gilbert Vierich – vocals, acoustic guitar, backing vocals, bass guitar, charango, classical guitar, electric guitar, kalimba, keyboards, percussion, programming, txalaparta, txistu, ukulele * Graham Dickson – vocals, acoustic guitar, backing vocals, bass guitar, charango, classical guitar, electric guitar, kalimba, keyboards, percussion, programming, txalaparta, txistu, ukulele * Andrea Marongiu – drums, percussion * Eleanor Fletcher – backing vocals ;Additional personnel * Todd Burke – engineering * Kristian Donaldson – engineering * Chris Gehringer – mastering * Tim Green – design * Lauren Johnson – backing vocals *

– album cover *

– mixing * Andrew McDonnell – engineering * Justin Meldal-Johnsen – bass guitar, electric guitar, engineering, keyboards, percussion, production, programming * Nila Raja – backing vocals * Shaun Savage – engineering *

Mike Schuppan Mike Schuppan is an American producer, mixing engineer and recording engineer. He is known for his work with Paramore, M83, Jimmy Eat World and others. He has been the long time engineer for Justin Meldal-Johnsen and served as his bass tech ...

– engineering * Chris Testa – engineering * Holly Walker – backing vocals * Patrick Warren – piano * Lionel Williams – inside cover * Hugh Worskett – pre-production * Sigrid Zeiner-Gundersen – backing vocals * Luzmira Zerpa – backing vocals

Charts

Release history

Cave Rave event

On Tuesday 14 May 2013 The Guardian announced Crystal Fighters plans to hold a "cave rave" in the heart of the Basque countryside on 29 August 2013. The Cave Rave event took place on Thursday 29 August at Zugarramurdi cave outside San Sebastian, deep within the band's spiritual home of the Basque countryside. New wavers Belako and party-starting six piece Wilhelm & The Dancing Animals opened the show and warmed up the crowd before Crystal Fighters took to the stage. The show was sold out and the review were all extremely positive with coverages on the Rolling Stone, El Pais and many other relevant blogs online.

References

{{Authority control 2013 albums Crystal Fighters albums Atlantic Records albums Albums produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen