Loud Noise

Like many bands that ended up being a favorite of mine, I hated Sleigh Bells upon first experience. Vampire Weekend was quite the same way. The first time I heard them I just didn't get it, but then I heard them again and suddenly understood. In my experience if you love a band right away it tends to be temporary. The music that stays in your heart long term is not always understood at first.

I had seen the name Sleigh Bells a million times in print and ignored it because I thought it was going to be yet another male fronted rock band. I generally tend to prefer female fronted bands. Finally I saw a picture and saw that there was a girl in it, so I thought, what the hell, I'll give it a shot. Their album "Treats" opens up with Tell 'Em which happens to be my favorite song on the album. The best way I can describe it is loud noise, but really good noise. You are confronted with noises and instruments and finally someone singing and it doesn't make sense at first, but then by the end of the song, you get it.

The album had me thinking of so many different performers it was ridiculous. The second song, Kids, made me think of a white M.I.A., while the third song, Riot Rhythm almost sounded a more hip hop version of Santigold. The fourth song (and most popular) Infinity Guitars reminded me of older The Kills and the fifth song, Run the Heart, seemed sure to be sampled in a future rap song. Yet, somehow, all those different sounds together still creates a cohesive album.

The singer of Sleigh Bells Alexis Krauss is most definitely the definition of "attractive female singer in a rock band". When she took off her sunglasses in the Infinity Guitars music video I was like "Whoa!" I haven't seen enough of her to know her personal style, but I would love to see her in something tight that is black with some bright colors as well. I found this picture of her that really inspired me:


This look was exactly what I was thinking. It is tight and simple, but has the bright colored threads. When I hear Sleigh Bells I think of both black from the rock side and highlighter colors from the electronic side. Putting them together would equal a really great stage outfit. Here are some pieces that are close to the feel I am going for, though none are exact.

I love the fit of the first dress and the stripes of the skirt. I like the third piece more for the color combinations than the shape of the dress. The bright colored zippers could be a lot of fun to play with.

I can see many of the songs on this album as having potential for runway shows, though I am not sure if any of the songs are strong enough to be the main song of the show. Electronic music is often great for shows though, even if just to add onto other songs to create a better walking beat. Check some videos out below!

Tell 'Em

Infinity Guitars

A/B Machines

-Melissa