Sleigh Bells- Reign of Terror

Sleigh Bells’ latest album features a high-fidelity recording quality that makes its sound much more palatable than the music on the duo’s debut album, Treats. But beyond that, the band hasn’t changed its tune all that much. WATCH THE REVIEW

feet

Sleigh Bells’ latest album features a high-fidelity recording quality that makes its sound much more palatable than the music on the duo’s debut album, Treats. But beyond that, the band hasn’t changed its tune all that much.

WATCH THE REVIEW

  • Anonymous

    Right on the mark. Just before you said the “word”, I said the same word, which was Cheerleader. I find their music really loud and tiring on the ears, although it’s not all bad. There’s no dynamic interest, which takes a lot of work and time to create on a computer. They sound like they’ve created a lot on the computer. That was a funny remark about the beer commercial. I can see that. As I recall, they actually got their music used on a car commercial.

  • Trevor M. Harrison

    Anthony i am a fan Tano, i agree with your opinion on sleigh bells. treats had a sort of dum fun appeal at first, but that wore thin pretty fast. the only thing different about reign of terror is the recording quality, but they didn’t really evolve or progress as a project, they just repeated the same song structure and technique. i am glad i listened to both albums cuz i certainly enjoyed aspects of their music, but i don’t see myself returning to either of these albums. i was actually going to see them live at the Mayan last night, just to see how loud and noisy they would be in person, but tickets sold out and i was not about to pay twice the original price on stubhub. i am going to see Ra Ra Riot tonight at the El Rey, i am way pumped. you rock harder than sleigh bells.

  • Taylor Barratt

    Eh.. I think they achieve what they set out to do. I find because of the compression and volume change on the new one makes it sound more like a pop album, which has me guessing how much of the crowd in March when I go to see them is going to be 14 year old girls. I think maybe something that Anthony is not saying but may believe is this sound has a limit. You can’t complicate the riffs, and you can’t complicate the vocals. If you do, it’s a totally different band. Sonically they’re moving in a direction with RoT which could lead to a third album making another shift and before you know it, album 3 or 4 sounds nothing like album 1. Whether they migrate their sound to widen their appeal or because they mature as artists remain to be seen. Still it’s a fun group, the live shows look like they should be a lot of fun, and their stuff sounds great loud. Not all my/your/anyone’s music has to be deep and meaningful. You can enjoy the layers of Sasha Cohen but also (in the case of Happy Gilmore at least) the simpleness of Sandler. Both are enjoyable, for different reasons.

  • Saturday Morning Cartoons

    I like this one more than Treats but yeah I totally agree with you. I never really got the appeal to this band. Their first album was loud beyond belief with a bunch of whiny female vocals, the album never seemed to go anywhere and did not do loud music that I typically enjoy any justice. This album however eases up a bit and to a decent effect. I like the pop sensibility and slightly toned down volume as it allows Alexis’ vocals to stand out more and shows that they can craft some energetic catchy pop songs that aren’t just mind numbingly abrasive. However I still feel that they are just a pop group acting tough and being loud, nothing more. My friends put it best when they call this band wannabe heavy metal, power pop for the hipster crowd. 6/10.

  • Stacey L

    Interesting review. I share your general distaste for the band and the “shallow/unintelligent” impression, but would rank the two albums the other way around based on the noise aspect. The one redeeming quality of Treats for me was the stark contrast between the noise and the girly vocals. Actually, I assumed that was the whole point/gimmick of this band. So it confused me that they cleaned up the noise, because now it’s just boring.

    I do find myself glued to their live videos when I watch them, but I don’t think it’s in a “I like this even though I don’t want to” way, or even in a “so bad it’s good” way, but more like how I might finding myself watching a reality TV show. Probably with the same befuddled expression on my face too.

  • JHB

    Hey dude, I just listened to your review of the new Sleigh Bells album and am eager to procrastinate enough to respond to what you said. First off, I haven’t listened to Reign of Terror yet, buuuuuuuuuuut I feel like commenting because my opinion of Sleigh Bells used to be quite akin to your take on Treats. Upon first hearing Sleigh Bells, I took the ear violence and pop hooks as lazy, unoriginal and just sort of dumb. Like the kind of noise-pop garbage band that opens a free concert and makes you regret arriving early.
    I’m not sure what compelled me to keep listening to Treats, but at one point it just clicked. My reason for liking Sleigh Bells might be completely different from their intentions, but now I see Sleigh Bells, or at least some songs off Treats, as being of great cultural significance. In discussing elements of Reign Of Terror, you said parts of it sounded like a a beer commercial – girls twirling their hair, cheerleaders, hot waitresses, etc. I think that’s what is so genius about it! Perhaps that’s me being naive, but I think Sleigh Bells as the soundtrack to the Superbowl or a monster truck rally is this incredible commentary on contemporary Western (mainly US I guess) culture. Sleigh Bells, to me, are the sonic embodiment of consumerism-capitalist culture, suburbia, pop music and teenagehood all cranked till the knob comes off. Its like MTV on a jumbotron at a Pepsi sponsored monster truck rally/football game/nascar. I see Sleigh Bells as this angry and polarized voice commenting on the present, a view I think is shared with a lot of Occupy sympathizers, hell, one that is perhaps incarnate in Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All. Like we’ve reached this point where everything has been cranked as high as it will go, and is sped up faster than anyone can manage, and we all know something’s wrong, but don’t quite know what it is or what to do with ourselves. That’s why I think their music is important. It’s not as much a pastiche as it is a smash-tiche (eh? eh? Get it?).
    I also wonder if my perspective on the band would be shared by other non-US citizens (Je suis Canadien), like UK or French fans. Certainly, I feel as though the extremes I see in contemporary American culture (TV shows, college football, political extremism, etc) are quite detached from Canadian culture (mostly), and Treats especially reflects that. I think Marilyn Manson tried to make comments on popular culture the way Sleigh Bells are, but did it in a way that really only reached angsty 14 year olds.

    So that’s more or less what I was thinking. I’m curious if my take on Sleigh Bells changes your opinion any, or if you’ve got any thoughts that might change mine. I’ve really enjoyed your vlog so far, keep up the great work dude!