Released - 5/11/10
Label - Mom + Pop / NEET
BLURB - I finally got the hearing back in my ears. We can stop worrying. I truly don't know where to begin with "Treats." This is perhaps the loudest, most 'in your face' album I've ever heard. After the first time listening to this album, I was like...'wow...what just happened?' I felt like I just got out of a fight or something. It's aggressive, it's fierce and at points intimidating. Yet somehow at the same time, Sleigh Bells have this unmistakable swagger, style and creativity that sets them apart from everybody else. It transcends anything and everything I've heard so far this year. Label them however you want - noise pop, alternative hip-hop, dance punk...it doesn't matter. "Treats" is so unique and new, it's impossible to classify...or put down. With each listen, their fusion of uber-distortion and hip-hop beats will find a way to grow on you. It's inevitable.
Rating - 10 out of 10
FULL STORY - According to my roommate, Alexis Krauss used to work down the street at one of our favorite mexican joints, Papacitos (by the way, awesome fish tacos), for a couple of years. Who knew? The story goes that Krauss teamed up with former Poison the Well guitarist Derek Miller after meeting each other in 2008 and deciding to do something entirely new. After Poison the Well, Miller had moved out to the west coast and began learning how to program drum loops and beats. He eventually moved to Brooklyn where he met Krauss, who, in addition to working tables, was teaching music on the side. I know this because I read it while leafing through the latest volume of Fader at Barnes and Noble, as I waited for a friend. It almost seems like it could be a great plot for a movie. It's just two strangers with entirely different lives, sharing a common passion for music. And now they seem to be the hottest, most sought after act in the music industry right now. Great story.
Opener 'Tell Em' begins with a drum beat that sounds like a machine gun. As only the good ones do? As soon as you hear that beat and the aggression, you can instantly tell this is going to be crazy. Short, screeching guitar riffs come in, only to be followed with a clap track, giving the song both an instant metal and hip-hop feel...and yet, thankfully, it sounds nothing like Limp Bizkit. What further gives this creative blend of instrumentation credibility, is the nearly angelic voice of Krauss. It's a pairing that you would think could never work in a million years, but it does.
'Kids' proceeds to enter with a growling wave of synth that slowly builds into a monster of an opening. As the intro reaches it's apex, Miller throws in an ingenious loop of hi hats, reminiscent of something off of a T.I. or L'il Wayne track. The song as a whole has this huge, massive feel to it. Every instrument sounds like it's peaking on the monitors (which they probably are), giving the track this raw, super-distorted quality. Had the entire song been made up solely of this sound, it would likely have been too much. Being the good musicians they are, the two manage to go back and forth between these overwhelming waves of distortion and softer, more laid back verses in which Krauss provides the vocals over. The balance is perfect and gives the track enough variety and flow to keep it interesting.
The best track on the album, in my opinion, is 'Rill Rill.' What's weird is that I love this album for how loud and aggressive it is, yet 'Rill Rill' is the softest and slowest track on the record. It effortlessly flows across the speakers with a certain arrogance, blatantly defying the rest of "Treats." The song showcases both Krauss' vocals and her personality over several different guitar samples and a relaxing, yet powerful beat. The overall feel reminds me of something that M.I.A. would have concocted as a b-side for "Kala." The lyrics, ironically, are both introverted and ambitious, creating a very personable flow that is easy to dive into:
"You are the river flow and we could never know. We're just the weatherman, you make the wind blow. Keep thinking about every straight face yes. Wonder what your boyfriend thinks about your braces. What about them? I'm all about them. Six such straight A's, cut 'em in the bathroom. So this is it then? You're here to win a friend? Click, click, saddle up, see you on the moon then. You're all alone friend, pick up the phone then. Ring, ring, call them up, tell them 'bout the new trends."
It seems only fitting that Sleigh Bells would follow up the slowest track on the album with their most vicious. I'm warning you now..."Crown on the Ground" is intense. The fury of sound and distortion will overwhelm your senses and it's guaranteed that you'll inexplicably reach to turn the volume down. When I first heard this track, I was like....'this is too much,' but somehow this remains another one of my favorites. Despite the sensory overload of distortion and chaos brought on by the guitars and synthesizers, the beat and underlying drum patterns are so addicting that you won't be able to comprehend the fact that you actually love this song. Accompanying this over the top instrumentation, is a flood of arrogance and swagger that will ooze out of your now-broken speakers with complete disregard. And yet, it's because of this confidence and freshness, that I continue to give my co-workers headaches from my cubicle as I blast 'Crown on the Ground' at ten in the morning.
As of right now this is my favorite album of the year. I can't put it down. I send it to everyone, and then they tell me that they can't put it down. The main reason for this, I think, is because of how new and different it sounds. The approach and mentality behind the making of this record strays so far away from the norm, that it instantly has appeal. However, after the initial appeal and newness rubs off (believe me it does, I've listened to it 3,000 times), it still stands on it's own and towers over everything else that is out there.
Tracks
1.) Tell 'Em
2.) Kids
3.) Riot Rhythm
4.) Infinity Guitars
5.) Run the Heart
6.) Rachel
7.) Rill Rill
8.) Crown on the Ground
9.) Straight A's
10.) A/B Machines
11.) Treats
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