Some sections of the critical press deemed Crystal Stilts’ debut album Alight of the Night to be drained of any melodic qualities and struggled to buy into the drone that is Brad Hargett’s voice. Now, the Crystal Stilts don’t strike me as a band to take such criticism to heart, but there’s a definite levelling out between mood and melody on their follow-up In Love with Oblivion. That isn’t to say Hargett will wow you with a vocal range that was seemingly hidden till now. Rather, they display a willingness to cut loose more often and what emerges is an altogether more welcoming record.

They gave clues that this could be the case when ‘Shake the Shackles’ arose at the backend of last year. The Stilts’ stomp remains intact but their heads have been lifted slightly. Even some of the lyrics can be deciphered on first play and they’re rather lovely to boot, “When will we discover the place that we buried love / And resurrect all of the lovers? / We cried so long for one another”. The track locks in a rhythm and tempo that is prevalent throughout the record. Hargett’s monotone delivery craves an expansive and varied groove, which is exactly what it gets. From the very first minute, as ‘Sycamore Tree’ freewheels into focus, there’s a sense that you’ll take a lot less convincing from the Stilts this time round. Not just in terms of identity but, also, that the record has enough endearing qualities to quantify repeat listens in spite of which frame of mind you happen to find yourself in.

They don’t dispel all the gloom, though, as exemplified on the brooding ‘Alien Rivers’ – a track that will either be your most or least favourite cut from the record, depending on which side of the fence you reside. ‘Half A Moon’ acts as a timely get-up, just as your chin was to come in contact with your chest. The band really hit their stride on ‘Flying into the Sun’, with the album’s most provocative lyric (There’s a black hole behind these eyes / That takes everything with it when it dies”) toying with the sprightly jangle of the guitars. Other obvious highs ‘Through the Floor’ and ‘Silver Sun’ show the Stilts at their most raucous, with top lips angling firmly upwards.

It’s terribly trite to end a review pondering the band’s next move; maybe even slightly unfair given the album in question is yet a week old. But, in the case of the Crystal Stilts I can’t help but wonder how they can begin to develop their sound again and maintain a good deal of creative interest. While In Love with Oblivion is a nice progression it seems a very natural one too. In keeping with this clichéd outro, we’ll just have to wait and see…..I guess.