ALBUM REVIEW: Crystal Bright and The Silver Hands-Muses and Bones

Prepare yourself for the gypsy sideshow that is Crystal Bright and The Silver Hands. Their album Muses and Bones is eerie, haunted, and thrilling. If Danny Elfman and The Dresden Dolls came together and created a musical offspring, it would be Crystal Bright and The Silver Hands.

Containing dark lyrics, spooky bass, and accordion, they create a creepy yet whimsical sound. Crystal Bright has a soprano voice with a high range that never cracks. Utilizing multiple instruments, Crystal Bright and The Silver Hands have a different sound you don’t hear too much these days. They have perfected that eerie feel by using the saw blade as an instrument, especially in “Toy Hammer.”

Muses and Bones feels like you are being told a story through the music itself as you listen. Crystal’s brilliant voice makes you want to weep while the upright bass and saw blade make you want to get up on your feet to prepare to fight. All in all, it takes you on a musical journey. The album starts are off loud and frivolous with a perfect intermission during “Today.” After track 7, it starts to slow down a bit, while still bringing you deeper into the mystery.

This would be an interesting album to experiment with. Perhaps trying the whole “Wizard of Oz/Dark Side of the Moon” trick. I would try it with “Corpse Bride” or “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Watching them live will be sure to be a treat. The band will be playing at the Velo Fellow in Greenville this Sunday July 8th at 8PM.