Sleigh Bells - Kid Kruschev

Sleigh Bells have been around for years now, and when I first heard their stuff in 2010, quite frankly I was excited.  Their debut album "Treats" is just such a fun album.  At heart, it's a powerful pop album filled with explosive anthems.  But Sleigh Bells packed quite the punch, bringing in noisy guitars and abrasive production making for a really explosive pop album.  The duo's next release, "Reign Of Terror", was even heavier and fueled by my bigger guitar licks.  But still, Sleigh Bells didn't seem to get too far from the sound they started off with.  Meaning this album was fueled by gigantic pop hooks and anthemic vocals.  Now, I did enjoy Sleigh Bells up to this point.  But I stood my guard, cause I knew deep down that their sound could easily get very obnoxious and fast.  Which is exactly what happened on their 2013 album "Bitter Rivals".  This album is an absolute mess, with only a few short redeeming moments.  But the production wasn't nearly as flattering as it once was, and Sleigh Bells essentially became Pop with some slightly abrasive production that seemed more annoying than anything.  2016's "Jessica Rabbit" is quite frankly, an absolute mess. It was my lowest reviewed album of last year, with the production being seriously obnoxious and the quirky songwriting long gone.  Tracks like "Crucible" and "Throw Me Down The Stairs" helped a little.  But this album overall was the atrocious mess that I always feared Sleigh Bells would come out with.  So, I really don't have much hope for this new Sleigh Bells mini-album.  Especially since some of these opening singles are just plain awful, but we'll get to that.

This mini-album starts off with "Blue Trash Mattress Fire".  Instantly, it's pretty clear that I'm not going to be getting any heavier material.  No, as a matter of fact, this is about as light and fluffy as Sleigh Bells have ever sounded, and easily the most Pop-Oriented.  The electronics that are dominant for most of this track are just watering this one down so much.  Not to mention, I feel like this track goes absolutely nowhere for the first minute and a half.  Now, I do like some of the melodic and anthemic guitars that fly in eventually.  But then we have Alexis Kraus's vocals, which honestly here don't sound like they've aged well at all.  I mean technically, she still has an amazing voice.  But where's the edge?  Sleigh Bells was once an exciting alternative to Pop Music, but "Blue Trash Mattress Fire" all around just blends in with so much of the Indie-Pop we're getting these days.  There are a few cool elements thrown in, like those slide guitars towards the end.  But overall this is a really underwhelming start.  Then we have "Favorite Transgressions", which from hearing those opening horns I feel like I'm about to get blasted with the latest Fergie single or something.  But I will give this track this, it's certainly more along the lines of what I want to hear.  Alexis's vocals sound so much more passionate and wild, which is where I want to hear her.  Not to mention, I do love how the guitars are much more prominent, even intense at points.  On the other hand, the production for me continues to be the downfall of everything.  It's just so clean and there isn't any edge in sight.  "Favorite Transgressions" is catchy and all, but at the end of the day is just OK.  Then we have "Rainmaker".  Now, for an easier to swallow Pop direction, this is actually one of the better tunes I've heard from Sleigh Bells.  While the production isn't as artsy and edgy as I would like, it's booming and interesting enough for me to be able to set it aside.  I still like just how passionate and wild Alexis comes off.  But while this is a decent track, come on now Sleigh Bells.  This, while it's decent, doesn't hold a candle to any of the early Sleigh Bells releases.  But at the very least, this track does get me moving and it's certainly catchy.  But where's the energy?  Where are the anthems?  Sure, this is alright and all, but don't sit here and tell me this is classic Sleigh Bells.  And it just gets worse with tracks like "Panic Drills", which quite frankly make me want to turn this album off.  The anthemic guitars are present.  But Alexis's whiny and borderline obnoxious vocals make this one a rough listen.  If you asked me if this was Sleigh Bells, I sincerely wouldn't have been able to tell you it was.  It's all just so overblown, which is something that at a time I would have been into.  But this just drifts on by and isn't the slightest bit interesting.

Now, I do have to say that the sort of glitchy production on "Show Me The Door" is a nice addition, even if the beat here is pretty obnoxious.  Now, this one, while it's completely over the top, really isn't that bad at all.  I love the vocals that are slathered in effects and the booming instrumentals.  So yea, "Show Me The Door" is basically Sleigh bells embracing their Pop sound even further.  But this one at the very least is fun, which I can't remember the last time I said that about a Sleigh Bells tune.  The instrumentals are pleasant, Alexis's vocals are passionate, and her dual vocals with those heavily drenched backing vocals are solid too.  Where is the rest of this sound?  Now, up next is an acoustic tune, "Florida Thunderstorm", which really worried me.  But it's ironic because this one really ends up sounding great.  As far as performances go, this is easily Alexis's most stand-out moment here.  Her vocals are incredible here, and this ends up being just so passionate.  Now, instrumentally this is far from the most exciting tune here.  But for a straight-up rock tune that's been stripped down, I'm into this.  But Sleigh Bells quickly dive right back down the Electro-Pop rabbit hole with "And Saints".  And that of course, means that I'm right back to not being able to tell the difference between this and any other Indie Pop band on the market.  Alexis's vocals are nothing special, and really don't come off as anything fresh.  Then we have the instrumental, which to blunt, is just so bland.  I don't really know what's happening to this duo, but as time goes on they just get further from that classic sound.

Rating: 6.6/10

Give A Listen To: "Favorite Transgressions" (I guess....), "Rainmaker", "Show Me The Door", "Florida Thunderstorm"

Genre: Noise Pop / Indie Pop

Overall Thoughts:  I just really don't know what else I can possibly say about Sleigh Bells st this point.  They've been getting more and more pop oriented every time they release something, and here is no different.  There's no edge in sight, and the performances are just so bland.  Even the best tracks here just seem "OK".