Rockin' Our Turntable: Sleigh Bells

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on May 20, 2010 6:40PM

We've gotten in numerous arguments over the past few days regarding the musical virtues or lack thereof around heavy rock-dance duo Sleigh Bells. The group seems to be polarizing general opinion and we find ourselves firmly on the side of the fence that just can't get enough of their debut Treats. In fact we suspect the primary conceit that is working against the band's favor, and inciting negative commentary, is that when you see pictures of Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss it's easy to immediately write them off as appearing like yet another useless couple of Williamsburg hipster fucks. Sometimes you have to ignore the press photos in order to hear the music, but apparently some folks have trouble doing so.

And what about that music? Treats is a brutal joy, taking cues for the digital hardcore movement of the late '90s,coupling it with hip-hop rhythms as heard through an industrial meat grinder, and topping the mix off with strong yet sweet sing-song vocal lines. They combine speaker shredding beats with inventive samples, or favorite being Funkadelic's "Can You Get to That," and while it will punish any sound system it's played through, Treats is one of the most pleasurable listens we've encountered so far this year.

There is a youthful exuberance and an honest sense of fun that permeates the whole album. Even as we type this, with the repetitive burrow of "A/B Machines" funneling through our brain, we find we're hard-pressed to not start running in place or dancing or, god forbid, fist pumpin' in unadulterated happiness. This is the point where we should make some cutesy comment like "The new Sleigh Bells disc is truly a rare treat!" but we'll spare you the obvious blurb and just urge you to run out and grab the album then strap yourself in for repeated listens to a genuine thrill ride.

Sleigh Bells plays the Pitchfork Music Festival July 18 and while we can't wait to see them there we're REALLY hoping they book an awesome party in a smaller venue that weekend too!