There are characters and agents, but their identities stay very blurry and their properties are very diminished, low.No actantial characters вЂ“ no deep and wide goals, no consistent motivations.Same process of transformation by reduction than before: crawl, lisp, stagger instead of walk and talk.ДЄlice Practice is a representative example of anti-storytelling and anti-narration: Surprisingly, the dagger-holder is now the singer,

The repetition of those sad eyes helps structuring the lyrics a bit, but since it is not much connected to other elements of meaning, it sounds like a worrying, mad obsession.ДЄ link is finally made between the previous вЂњscarsвЂќ and the act of an aggressor armed with a dagger. It is a narrative element without the appropriate context, a plot point without a plot.ДЇor once, two lines make sense togetherвЂ¦ but the result of it sounds absurd: who would find a dead body, drop it and take it home? We can not find any rational motivation for anybody to do that. Mystery again about the identity of this вЂњitвЂќ.ДЇinally we have a bit of action, with some people вЂ“ this undefined вЂњweвЂќ вЂ“ who dropped a body. Why, who has quite Christian blood? We have no element to understand. вЂњyour eyes, sad eyesвЂќ: again, we have no other element to identify this вЂњyouвЂќ: is it us, or who else? The reduction of this character to his/her/their eyes stays in the overall logic of destruction. Again, the verb carries a negative meaning: to crawl, the weak form of walking like lisping is the weak form of talking. It also contributes to an aesthetic that refuses order, narration and meaning.ДЄgain, the subject is missing and the verb sounds vague вЂ“ infinitive, available for action but not currently involved (вЂњonly crawlвЂќ sounds abstract compared to вЂњI only crawlвЂќ). Surprisingly, the verbs of action are either deleted or weakened or turned indirect ways: a passive present continuous or a weird past time. The вЂњIвЂќ is back, but just to assert 3 negative things on oneself, 2 about dying, 1 about a speech impediment вЂ“ which for a singer/songwriter, sounds ironic, but very symbolic of Crystal CastlesвЂ™ style. Same problem of meaning: the audience can not make sure about what is this вЂњitвЂќ: the scars, or something else that remains unnamed?

But the structure of the track stays surprising, it does not sound like a classic Verse/Chorus/Verse. This line breaks the systematic jumps of meaning and keeps continuous with the previous line, but not for a better result, since it just contradicts and cancels it. Nobody can tell who is the вЂњyouвЂќ and what is the вЂњitвЂќ in вЂњyou shrug it offвЂќ the вЂњitвЂќ could mean the previous вЂњscarsвЂќ, but we can not be sure. The meaning jumps again for the third time in three lines. The voice totally changed: it became aggressive like the music.ДЄ medical-sounding line, after the вЂњHiвЂќ, creates a weird effect of contrast. A setup, the beginning of a conversation? It soon becomes clear that this вЂњHiвЂќ goes with nothing else and is a kind of wrong track вЂ“ just meant to establish a fake cordiality just before passing on the attack. The track starts on layer of 8-bit glitches accompanied by some powerful, aggressive beats.ДЄ nice womanвЂ™s voice saying helloвЂ¦ in strong contrast with the violent music. Crystal Castles вЂ“ Alice Practice вЂ“ Lyrics analysis, interpretation and meaning

Crystal castles lyrics