Art rock. Noise pop. Whatever you wanna call it, Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller, the Brooklyn duo that makes up Sleigh Bells know how to get loud. “Punishingly loud,” as Pitchfork once put it.
Knowing that Sleigh Bells is currently the band of the hour, I put in some good time getting acquainted with the twosome over the weekend. Recently signed to M.I.A.’s record label, the band offers up three songs to stream at the official N.E.E.T. Records website.
Voted by many music magazines and various online outfits as one of the top songs of 2009, “Crown on the Ground,” definitely makes me wanna move, as long as I go into “earmuffs mode” to protect my exponentially aging ears. Punishingly loud, indeed.
Most often, Sleigh Bells reminds me of The Ting Tings dialed up to eleven. But, on your Tuesday Jam of the Day, “Ring Ring,” Krauss and Miller perfectly evoke The Beta Band, particularly the coolly listless beat and purposefully aloof vocals of “Dry the Rain.” Add some laidback “ahhhs” and cutesy lyrics like “Wonder what your boyfriend thinks about your braces,” and this is definitely much more my speed.
Sleigh Bells’ debut album, Treats, comes out on May 11, 2010.