Jump to content

Sleigh Bells (band)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Peterbillionaire (talk | contribs) at 16:59, 13 July 2012. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Sleigh Bells
Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells performing at the Prudential Center in Newark on May 4, 2012
Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells performing at the Prudential Center in Newark on May 4, 2012
Background information
OriginBrooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
GenresNoise pop, dance-punk, indie rock, digital hardcore
Years active2008 (2008)–present
LabelsMom+Pop, N.E.E.T.
MembersDerek E. Miller
Alexis Krauss
Jason Boyer (touring)
Websitereignofterror.tv

Sleigh Bells is an American musical duo from Brooklyn, New York City, formed in 2008. The duo consists of Derek Edward Miller (guitar) and Alexis Krauss (vocals). After signing to N.E.E.T. Recordings and Mom+Pop,[1] Sleigh Bells released their debut album, Treats, on May 11, 2010. Their follow-up album, Reign of Terror, was released on February 21, 2012.

History

Background and formation

Both members of Sleigh Bells had previous experience performing and touring in a musical ensemble. From age 17 to 22, Florida-native Derek Miller was a guitarist in the hardcore band Poison the Well. He last performed on the band's 2003 major-label debut You Come Before You, leaving the following year due to creative differences. He wrote songs while working as a waiter or barback in various cities across the United States.[2][3] Alexis Krauss grew up in New Jersey and has a background in theater and television. As a young girl she appeared in a Nickelodeon Magazine commercial and winked at the camera.[4] From age 12 to 16, Krauss performed in the teen pop group RubyBlue. After RubyBlue broke up, Krauss went to college (majoring in political science), taught Spanish to elementary school children in The Bronx and performed at weddings on the side for fun.[2][3]

In March 2008, Miller moved to Brooklyn to find a female vocalist for some song demos he was working on. In April 2008 he started working at Miss Favela — a Brazilian bistro in Williamsburg, Brooklyn — and in July 2008, Krauss and her mother dined at the restaurant. Miller expressed his interest in finding a female vocalist for his new project and Krauss was immediately volunteered by her mother. The two met in a park and listened to Miller's demos through headphones.[2][3] In a 2012 interview, Krauss remembered her first impressions, saying: "Derek's music sounded like a really interesting challenge, but I wasn't thinking he was somebody I wanted to develop a creative relationship with."[2] Krauss was pursuing a Rhodes Scholarship at the time, but decided to join forces with Miller instead.[3]

Sleigh Bells EP (2009)

The duo performed at the CMJ Music Marathon in October 2009.[5] They signed to M.I.A.'s N.E.E.T. Recordings soon after and Mom + Pop Records.[1] The two quickly got in the studio and recorded a seven-track self-titled EP. Their EP soon gained attention from The Guardian, The New York Times, Pitchfork Media, ABC News's Amplified, and other sources. Stereogum named them a Band To Watch October 22, 2009.[6] The Guardian named them Band of the Day in December 2009.[7] Their song "Crown on the Ground" was named the fifty-seventh best track of 2009 by Pitchfork Media.[8] Miller recorded the track "Meds and Feds" with M.I.A. from the album Maya towards the end of 2009, and began recording Treats with Krauss in 2010. "Rill Rill" uses a sample from Funkadelic's "Can You Get to That".

Treats (2010–2012)

The group released "Tell 'Em", the first single from their debut album, Treats, as a free download in April 2010.[9] Treats was released on May 11, 2010 exclusively through the iTunes Store by Mom + Pop Music.[10] They performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2010 and 2011,[11] the Primavera Sound Festival in May 2010,[12] and the Pitchfork Music Festival in July 2010. In June 2010, they released "Crown on the Ground" as their second single. The track "Rill Rill" from the album Treats was featured on the fourth episode of the fourth season of Gossip Girl, titled "Touch of Eva". The song "Kids" off of the album Treats was used in an advert for Koppaberg and the promo for MTV's North American adaption of the British series Skins. Music videos were shot for their third and fourth singles, "Infinity Guitars" and "Rill Rill". "Infinity Guitars" has also featured in commercials for Windows Phone.[13]

Reign of Terror (2012)

Sleigh Bells began tracking songs for their second studio album in June 2011. Describing the sound of the new album, Krauss said, "It sounds really huge, so there's going to still be tons of volume."[14]

On December 2, 2011, the band's website began to link to a Vimeo video. It served as a teaser trailer for the upcoming album, revealing the title to be Reign of Terror. There was no release date or any other information attached to the trailer. The trailer features scenes of Krauss sitting at a vanity mirror, grooming herself, interspersed with various backstage and live concert footage, as well as footage depicting the band's touring. During the duration of the video, a riff plays in the background and serves as the only sound. This can be assumed to be part of an upcoming song on the album.[15]

On December 7, 2011, the band announced via press release the date of the album's release and the track listing. The band's publicist said of the upcoming release, "[The album features] songs that are as crushing and authoritative as their title suggests; they're effortlessly robust and heavier than any of the band's previous output ... the sonic equivalent of a beautiful shotgun to the head."[16] The album's lead single, "Born to Lose", was released on December 15, 2011. In an interview with webzine Coup De Main, Krauss was quoted as saying that Reign of Terror is "a much more personal record".[17]

The album was originally set to be released on February 14, 2012, but was pushed back to February 21.[18]

Along with the announcement of the release date and track listing, Sleigh Bells also announced a tour of strictly Floridian venues.[19] This tour will precede the release of the album.

Sleigh Bells were the musical guest on the February 18, 2012 episode of Saturday Night Live, performing the songs "Comeback Kid" and "End of the Line".

The album was released February 21, 2012.

Only a few months after the release of Reign of Terror, Sleigh Bells began writing a third-studio album for a possible 2013 release.[20][21]

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Non-album tracks

References

  1. ^ a b Wilhelm, Alex (March 16, 2010). "Sleigh Bells sign to N.E.E.T. and Mom + Pop". Crazed Hits. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d Marchese, David (2012). "Bringin' on the Heartbreak". Spin: 54–61, 108. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved March 29, 2012. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  3. ^ a b c d Ryzik, Melena (February 14, 2012). "Enjoying the Sweet Pains of Success". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  4. ^ Dombal, Ryan (July 12, 2010). "Interviews: Sleigh Bells". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  5. ^ Dombal, Ryan (October 24, 2009). "CMJ: Friday [The xx, Sleigh Bells]". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  6. ^ Singh, Amrit (October 22, 2009). "Band To Watch: Sleigh Bells". Stereogum. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  7. ^ Lester, Paul (December 1, 2009). "New band of the day – No 680: Sleigh Bells". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  8. ^ "The Top 100 Tracks of 2009". Pitchfork Media. December 14, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  9. ^ Saba, Michael (April 29, 2010). "Listen to Sleigh Bells' First Single "Tell 'Em"". Paste. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  10. ^ "Sleigh Bells reveal debut album's tracklist". FACT. April 29, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  11. ^ Martens, Todd (March 31, 2010). "Coachella, beyond the main stage: Sleigh Bells can ring a racket". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  12. ^ http://www.archive.org/details/OlasKoolKitchenSleighBellsLiveSetPrimavera2010
  13. ^ YouTube: What if? Ad | Windows Phone 7 Official TV Commercial. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  14. ^ Helton, Eric; Murphy, Matthew (May 13, 2011). "Sleigh Bells: Reveal details of their next album". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  15. ^ Montgomery, James (December 2, 2011). "Sleigh Bells To Return With Reign Of Terror". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  16. ^ Montgomery, James (December 8, 2011). "Sleigh Bells' Reign Of Terror Drops On Valentine's Day". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  17. ^ Graves, Shahlin (February 24, 2012). "Interview: SLEIGH BELLS' ALEXIS KRAUSS on 'Reign Of Terror'". Coup De Main. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  18. ^ Pelly, Jenn (January 3, 2012). "New Sleigh Bells Album Pushed Back". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  19. ^ Corban (December 7, 2011). "Sleigh Bells Announce Tour, Reign Of Terror Tracklist". Stereogum. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  20. ^ Carlick, Stephen (April 11, 2012). "Alexis Krauss Speaks Up About Sleigh Bells' Longevity and Their Third Album". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
  21. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (May 4, 2012). "Sleigh Bells Bring the Noise on Spring Tour". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  22. ^ NME Staff (March 8, 2012). "Sleigh Bells cover Beyonce's 'Irreplaceable' – listen". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Sleigh_Bells_(band)&oldid=502090719"