Amid a sea of prosaic pop, and repetitious rap, the band Sleigh Bells emerged from the indie scene as, well, a breath of fresh air. Or as fresh as the air can get from Brooklyn. (Disclaimer, that wasn’t a stab at Brooklyn. I love Brooklyn). Anyway! This Brooklyn based noise-pop group debuted their first EP in 2008, followed by a complete album entitled Treats which was released in 2010. Now their newest and most successful album has just been released. Reign of Terror has just come out on February 21.
It seems that suddenly, and after a much-delayed appreciation, this band is now receiving the proper attention from the media that they deserve. This past week they performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, followed by a legendary performance on Saturday Night Live. The intimacy of having one of the band members, Derek E. Miller produce the record, was an extremely smart move and it definitely paid off, as this is by far their best record yet.
Their sound on this album is growing larger and composed with heaps of volume. Specifically this new founded sound is an amalgamation between blunt punk-rock, and dance till your feet fall off disco beats. Perfectly paradoxed with Alexis’ delicate feminine vocals which are foregrounded makes this album better than any pop-rock album I have heard in a while. Their is more of an emphasis on the actual instruments themselves, resembling 1980’s rock Fohgat-like guitar riffs, and AC/DC-like hooks, choruses, and harmonies. Sleigh bells musical aesthetic is exceptionally rhythmical, with traditional girly-pop sounds flowing together seamlessly and contrasted with heavy punk rock background instruments creating an all around ecstatic non-traditional pop album.
