Posts Tagged ‘Sleigh Bells’
Sleigh Bells, Die Antwoord Prove They Know What Bass Is
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
In the middle of Sleigh Bells’ set at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto on Tuesday, lead singer Alexis Krauss lowered herself into the crowd like she was slowly testing out the temperature of a cold pool. One male audience member went in for a kiss with Alexis. She leaned in close as if to reciprocate and then pushed his head back into the crowd while laughing through their song, “Ring, Ring.” By the end of the show the entire audience seemed appreciative enough to go in for a smooch.
When two of the most buzzed bands of 2010, Sleigh Bells and Die Antwoord decide to co-headline a tour, there can be a ton of expectation. Joe Jonas even tweeted about Brooklyn girl/boy duo Sleigh Bells in May. One of my friends once said that Sleigh Bells is everything you can want in a band; gritty guitar riffs, pounding hip hop beats and saccharine girly vocals. This was Sleigh Bell’s third stop in Toronto in only a handful of months, but the city’s fans were still starving for more.
Sleigh Bells took the stage about half an hour after their scheduled set time, but once they opened with “Tell ‘Em” all grudges had passed. Lead singer Alexis took a breath after the first song and said, “Thank you guys for waiting.” The band pounded through song after song with the bass turned up so high it punctured your lungs and rattled your skeleton. “Now is the time to get fucking sweaty,” Alexis ordered the crowd while thrashing her hair around and propelling herself into the crowd. They played most of their songs from their relatively short archive and ended with the audience favourite “Crown on the Ground.”
Tags: Die Antwoord, Phoenix Concert Theatre, Sleigh Bells
Posted in Concerts, Reviews, The New Music | No Comments »
5/11/10 News briefs: Sleigh Bells, Blur, M83, Sub Pop & Empire Of The Sun
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
There’s been a lot of build up over this new Sleigh Bells album Treats and now you can officially hear it over at a stream hosted by NPR. Be careful though, keep the volume low because their levels are ear-bleeding.
Damon Albarn says he wants to make more music with Blur. Speaking with NME, Albarn says the success of the Record Store Day single “Fool’s Day” made him excited to record with Blur again. “I’m definitely going to do a few more of those seven-inches,” he explained. “I love the no pressure aspect.”
M83’s Anthony Gonzalez has written the score for the new film from French director Gilles Marchand. There isn’t much to go by, but you can read all about the film, Black Heaven, at the Cannes website. The synopsis sounds right up Gonzalez’s alley.
Sub Pop is having another spectacular year and to prove it the label is giving away a free digital sampler. On it is choice tracks by the likes of Dum Dum Girls, Foals, Male Bonding, David Cross, Beach House, The Ruby Suns and ooh, a new one from Wolf Parade! Download it here.
If you were one of the few to buy tickets to Empire Of The Sun’s Toronto show at the Sound Academy on August 8th, well, I’m afraid to say it’s been cancelled. The official reason is a “scheduling conflict” but the band “intend to bring the live show to Canada as soon as possible although no time-frame can be confirmed at this stage.” Considering the band were hoping to incorporate live animals and make it a visual spectacle, this doesn’t come as a surprise. They should probably wait until the next album though, because a show that size needs some buzz.
Tags: blur, Empire of the Sun, M83, Sleigh Bells, Sub Pop
Posted in News, The New Music | No Comments »
Earworm: Sleigh Bells “Crown To The Ground”
Friday, November 6th, 2009
Who: Sleigh Bells
Sounds like: Massive, bass-rumbling jams sung played at deafening volumes at a frat party kegger where the only stereo is a cheap one tape-deck ghettoblaster.
RIYL: Solex, Telepathe’s Dance Mother, Bmore Club, Swizz Beatz, M.I.A., no-fi
Need to know: The core members of Brooklyn’s Sleigh Bells are Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss. Krauss spent time in teeny bopper group RubyBlue, while Miller previously played in hardcore bands Poison The Well and Give Up The Ghost; much like his old bandmate Wes Eisold (whose Cold Cave we featured on Wednesday), Miller has traded in his wrist-paralyzing riffs for hipster-approved dance tunes. Former members left the band to form the awesome new fuzz-power-pop act Surfer Blood.
Track: While they’re being embraced by the indie community, “Crown On The Ground” has as much in common with the noise and hip-hop scenes. The head-nodding beat and simple melody sound a hell of a lot like DMX and Swizz Beatz’s shit-disturbing anthem “Party Up (In Here),” while the production is drenched in so much grating hiss and treble that you wonder if the arm on your stereo’s EQ is now sporting a cast. The ridiculousness of how abrasive it sounds seems like it was just the result of being frugal, but it’s this “sound” that makes them unique.
Buy: Nothing to buy yet, but you can grab their demos here.
Tags: Alexis Krauss, Crown To The Ground, Derek Miller, Poison The Well, RubyBlue, Sleigh Bells
Posted in Earworm, The New Music | 1 Comment »
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