Darling buzz band of the moment and the next in a seemingly never ending line of Brooklyn indie sludge, Sleigh Bells' inaugural debut has been greatly anticipated for many months now. With nearly every track already a single, and the band already heavily booked at large summer festivals, it's impressive there hasn't yet been a significant push back of derision a la Vampire Weekend, et al. And the reason is simply because the music is so strong. Sure, the overmodulated bass is annoying after awhile (is it really necessary on every song?), and the band really only has one tempo. But it works b/c Derek Miller (self-admitted Nu-Metal and hardcore fan) pulls in some aggressive, almost industrial, elements to punctuate the trance-pop electro-groves, which nicely contrast singer Alexis Krauss' light and pretty vocals. It is this heavy riffing that weaves in and out of songs that separates Sleigh Bells from all the other fuzz bands currently pouring out of Brooklyn, seemingly endlessly.
Speaking of buzz bands, this review marks the first using our new ratings system. Gone is the lettering system (A+/A/A-, etc.), replaced by "Buzz-worthy", "Buzz-Zzz", and "Buzz-kill". So how does "Treats" rank on the new system?
Buzz-worthy!
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