Miércoles 12 May 2010, 21:08

Artist: Sleigh Bells
Title: Treats
Label: N.E.E.T./Mom & Pop
Release Date: May 11

Has there been a buzzier band in recent memory than Sleigh Bells? The noise-pop duo of Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller exploded into the blogosphere last October with a handful of CMJ shows scattered throughout their stomping grounds of Brooklyn and a CD-R littered with fuzzy, lo-fi demos.

Sleigh Bells were praised for their wild, energetic live shows that were usually described in one word: LOUD. The demos provided the same, ear-pulsating effect. Bloggers drooled over the grungy dance-pop of “A/B Machines” and “Ring Ring.” The standout “Crown on the Ground” was Best-New-Music’ed and Top-100-Tracks-of-2009’ed by Pitchfork. Not too shabby for a guy and girl who met in a restaurant, recorded some demos and played a handful of shows.

As 2010 dawned and Sleigh Bells were signed to M.I.A.’s N.E.E.T. Recordings label, one question hung over the most-blogged-about band of 2009: Can this band possibly deliver a full-length LP to live up to the hype? That LP, Treats, has finally arrived. And Sleigh Bells use their signature fuzz, bubble-gum pop vocals bred with hardcore-inspired riffs for 32 minutes of bliss to respond to the world with a resounding yes, we can.

What Sleigh Bells have done with Treats is what fans of the demos had hoped for and what newcomers will find sonically pleasing. Songs like “Infinity Guitars” and “A/B Machines” have kept the core ingredients that made the demos so lovable and great in the first place – there’s the bubblegum-pop sensibilities of Krauss’ vocals juxtaposed with Miller’s thumping, relentless riffs that are deeply-seeded in his hardcore roots.

No song on Treats sounds over-produced – they all keep the lo-fi, noisy fuzz sound that gave the demos their unique and lovable aesthetic. The closest to high-quality, slickly-produced pop we’ve got here is “Rill Rill” (formerly known as “Ring Ring). Krauss’ voice sounds particularly polished here, and the addition of the literal ringing of a bell on top of the Funkadelic sample of the demo that fans fell in love with make this song ready for radio.

Apart from “Rill Rill,” Treats is littered with loud, pounding rock. As much attention as Krauss gets for the band’s success (she is the pretty face, after all), Miller’s also a great star here. His production is top-notch and his hooks and riffs hold the songs together like heavy glue.

Take “Infinity Guitars,” for example. Through the first 1:50 of the song, it remains unchanged from its demo version – a steady beat mixed with Krauss’ best punk screams and a simple, catchy riff on Miller’s guitar. Then, with 40 seconds left in the song, all hell breaks loose. Miller took what was a simple breakdown point in the demo song and turned it into a complete, in-your-face, turn-your-speakers-up-as-loud-as-you-can jam session.

Other gems littered throughout the record are the brand new “Riot Rhythm” and “Run the Heart,” a rare Sleigh Bells slow jam about a messy breakup: “You want to know what’s good for me?/You don’t know, you don’t really want to know/You took my heart, I can take out you,” a dejected Krauss mopes.

And then there’s “Crown on the Ground,” – the song that arguably started it all for the band. It’s the demo Stereogum posted when naming them a Band to Watch in October. It’s the song Pitchfork posted days later under its “Best New Music.” It’s the song with which the band closes out every single setlist. And it’s here, on a brilliant, heavy and bold debut, that it gets its turn to shine.

Sleigh Bells knew well enough to not fix something that’s not broken with this song. The Treats version is the same length as the demo and, with the opening riff, sounds like we’re in for the exact same song. But when the beat drops at the 12-second mark, we hear a deeper, more tightly-produced sound than the pure noise we’ve come to expect from Sleigh Bells since they took the indie rock world by storm last year.

“Crown” really epitomizes the brilliance of Treats: it takes the band’s signature sound, adds a little bit of polish while leaving behind a necessary amount of fuzz and noise and then rocks out with a level of intensity that can be matched by few bands in the industry today. “Crown on the Ground” is a song and Treats is an album that begs to be played at full volume, at full intensity and with full energy. Derek and Alexis wouldn’t have it any other way.

Rating: 9.2/10

Sleigh Bells
Treats
Tell 'Em
Kids
Riot Rhythm
Infinity Guitars
Run the Heart
Rachel
Rill Rill
Crown on the Ground
Straight A's
A/B Machines
Treats