Sleigh Bells new release “Treats” comes off of a massive wave of Internet hype and a label connection with highly acclaimed hip-hop savant M.I.A. (of “Paper Planes” fame).
Sleigh Bells brandishes a continued emphasis on lo-fi do-it-yourself recording in independent acts that truly need less and less to produce fascinating material.
The album literally blasts into the ears from the get-go. Opening track “Tell ‘Em” is what would happen if an 8-bit arcade machine, 1980s arena rock and modern day hip-hop somehow got mixed together.
Naturally, this is the reason the record is so wonderfully alluring. Songwriter and instrumentalist Derek Miller knows exactly where to place vocalist Alexis Krauss and their chemistry as artist and musician is one of shocking distance. Miller’s background is in the scruffy post-hardcore music scene of less critically accepted (and more popular) bands like Underoath. Krauss’ history brings up a past in teen pop.
They combine the best of their particular fields in the process: sunny, sweet vocals and the blistering noise surrounding it. It seems simplistic, but popular music is really a field of few changes.
A re-evaluation of dance by turning up the volume on listener tolerance is a particular risk that is not often tried, even if the risk doesn’t take much to change. Now, it likely isn’t a risk if the appeal is still to get feet tapping, but the most jarring of approaches could prove to be a failure because no one likes dance music, causing no one to dance.
Instead, “Treats” is restrained noise, if such a thing is possible. When Miller and Krauss go loud, it isn’t merely to startle so much as to attract. Their risk is backed with youthful confidence and brash bass, and they fail to accept failure.
Standout track “Crown on the Ground” shocks ears with its guitar shredding, and yet runs on such a timely rhythm and never veers off. Miller’s guitars never overshadow the beat, and barely overshadow the cute hues of Krauss’ voice.
The hooks are all over this track and the entirety of “Treats,” especially the cool peace of “Rill Rill,” the rare moment where even the loud exterior of the record is toned down and placed into the background. Small chimes instead lead the shocking peace to a perfect embodiment of the summer season.
And in that rare moment, Krauss’ chanting of “Have a heart” could be sung by William Hung and still incite cheers. The off-kilter record and off key vocals are entirely the song’s charm. “Rill Rill” proves the genius of Sleigh Bells is done by the little things. A Beach Boys-style 60s pop rhythm is faintly altered to produce a feeling of originality, and the feeling totally works.
