Tip for 2010: Sleigh Bells

Sleigh Bells

So I found this amazing new band. They’re called Sleigh Bells, which is pretty seasonal, and they’re just incredible.

I say ‘found’, I mean located through a few links on elbo.ws originating from tracking down the much-hyped Freelance Whales (who turned out to be ‘just ok’).

Anyhow it’s been a while since this has happened, what with bands being shoved at me by labels and PR companies combined with that other necessity – sleep. So my first listen to an mp3 of ‘Crown On The Ground’ was truly something. Watch the song being performed live at New York’s Le Poisson Rouge right here:

It’s got a really abrasive sound with cymbals crashing on every beat of the bar and offbeat chords played in sync by guitars, bass and keyboards providing a stark contrast with the shouty, ferocious vocals. It’s such an incredibly basic combination when you think about it, the only addition being a few more parts that sound looped in. It’s robotic. My initial reaction was that ‘Crown To The Ground’ sounded like M.I.A. having been given the Telepathe treatment but that was so as to ignore its all-out power.

‘Infinity Guitars’ is sparser, another great snapshot of Sleigh Bells’ energy:

I’ve been scouring for reactions on this band and have mostly found comparisons with Crystal Castles, suggesting Sleigh Bells are like the duo but with tunes, but I don’t understand that. Electronics are just part of the sound, after all.

While they may have under 1,500 friends on MySpace, each song has received close to or just over 30,000 plays and is totally rad. Cotton on NOW.

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