Sleigh Bells - Reign Of Terror

2010 saw Brooklyn’s noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells released their debut album, the aptly named Treats. Containing eleven short but sweet tracks filled with the wonderful combination of Derek Miller’s ear-splitting electric guitar, ferocious drumbeats and Alexis Krauss’s saccharine sweet vocals, the album was literally a treat for the ears, although I’m convinced that if you listen to it at full volume, there’s a strong likelihood that you will actually go deaf. (This is yet to be medically proven)

It’s only February but 2012 is already a good year for Sleigh Bells, having appeared on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago and then, of course, the much anticipated Reign of Terror being released. Perhaps this album, like Treats is accurately named, as Sleigh Bells seem set to take over the world with their own 'reign of terror'.

The album itself manages to combine some of the traits that made Treats so brilliant – that GUITAR, turned up to 11 as always and Alexis’s innocent whispery vocals and yelps – yet also tries to go in a different direction. Reign of Terror begins with 'True Shred Guitar', which clocks in at only 2 minutes 20 and could easily be a distant relative of Treats rowdy foot-stomper 'Riot Rhythm'. So far it seems that sticking to their original formula seems to get the best results for Sleigh Bells, as is proved in 'Crush' and 'Born to Lose', two songs which both could’ve fitted perfectly onto Treats. In fact, it’s when they try to change the formula that I started losing interest. With the exception of 'Rill Rill' from the first album, which shows off the band’s softer side yet still manages to be a lovely song in it’s own right, Treats managed to keep a listener hooked and interested by making all the songs really really loud with sinister and distorted lyrics. Taking the lead from the success of 'Rill Rill', it’s clear that the duo wanted to show off their lighter sides on this album, and it pains me to say that this was probably not the best idea. At first the more vocal-heavy tracks seem interesting purely because they’re so different, but after a while I find myself having to check the track names just to see if the song has changed because they all begin to merge into one.

This may sound petty but another element of Reign of Terror that could be seen as either a good or a bad thing is the fact that it contains – shock horror – real lyrics! On recent single 'Comeback Kid' and fiery standout song 'Demons' for example you can... understand what Alexis is singing! I’m still unable to decide how I feel about this.

So overall, my final verdict of Reign of Terror is a reluctant “meh”. While a few tracks such as Comeback Kid, Demons and Leader of the Pack stand out, the rest of the album managed to lose my interest entirely. Is this the fault of Sleigh Bells “new direction” or merely just second album syndrome? Who can say? All I know is that I’ll stick to their first album until Sleigh Bell’s “reign of terror” blows over.

5/10

Grace Barber-Plentie

Sleigh Bells - Comeback Kid

Now, as we all know, Sleigh Bells’ debut ‘Treats’ was ace. Furious guitars, great vocals, noisy drums. A hugely exciting chunk of music.

‘Comback Kid’ is the first single from the bands follow up, titled ‘Reign Of Terror’ (out February 20th), and on first impressions it doesn’t feel like the band have really pushed the boundaries that much. All the ingredients from their debut are present; messy drums and heavy guitars in abundance, yet little else had been added. It is, if anything, a little tamer than most of the tracks on Treats, with its sung rather than shouted vocals. It’s not an unpleasant chance, reminiscent of the ethereal title track at the end of Rolo Tomassi’s Cosmology (vocally at least).

Providing Reign Of Terror is packed with as much energy as Treats (which, by all accounts, it is), the lack of it here isn’t too worrying. Yet more than anything Comeback Kid seems like a strange choice for a lead single. It’s definitely good; it just lacks much to grab the listener. There’s no huge progression or massive hook to get stuck in your head. 

Sean Collison

Sleigh Bells - Born To Lose

2012 sees the return of noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells, coming after a seemingly unexpected wave of hype surrounding the duo in early 2010 which led to them becoming the aspiring hipster's party music of choice. Somewhat surprisingly, unlike many bands who return to make their 'difficult second album' Sleigh Bells' sound has not changed in the slightest.

In fact new track 'Born to Lose' is so similar to previous work, it's hard to believe it's a new track at all. The beat has the drive of 'Tell Em', Alexis' cooing backed with her lessened rebellious war cries point essentially to a rehashed 'Riot Rhythm'. While once Sleigh Bells brought something new and invigorating to the table, now they sound slightly out of ideas. M.I.A.'s most loved prodigies have allowed themselves to become moulded, presumably so the same people who loved them in 2010 don't wander astray. It all smells a bit of Sleigh Bells trying to cling to the zeitgeist that popularised them, failing to recognise that these sort of songs have been done already, albeit by themselves on 'Treats'.

On the upside it's at least got a bit of drive and excitement behind it, and will have the large majority looking forward to the Valentines day release of new album 'Reign of Terror'. But let's hope when that day comes, Sleigh Bells don't just reproduce their debut record for the sake of past acclaim.

By Toby McCarron