I know at this point I’m not educating anyone about this group, but I’ve been rocking them too much lately for me not to post about them. Above is the cover art for Treats, the debut from Sleigh Bells, a Brooklyn duo consisting of a former hardcore rocker and a (supposedly former) elementary school teacher. Treats drops on May 11 on Mom+Pop and MIA’s N.E.E.T. Recordings.
If you’ve never heard Sleigh Bells, and you’re at work or in a public setting, turn your speakers down NOW. Shit is loud. Basically they record sweet-as-candy singalong pop and record it on in-the-red settings so it’s blaring at a sometimes-unbearable level….on second thought, crank that shit.
One of my favorite bands, the Sacramento-based Deftones, are preparing the release of their sixth full-length album, Diamond Eyes, on May 4. In light of this, I am going back, re-listening to, and analyzing their previous albums to gain a perspective of the band’s past while waiting in anticipation of the band’s future.
Today I continue my ten-part series showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of last year.
70. Miley Cyrus – Party In the USA
“Seriously?” Yes, dude, seriously. You know why people hate this song? Because Miley sings it. That’s the only reason. Any other reason and you have no soul. Why? Have you listened to this song? It’s fucking awesome. Seriously. And Hannah Montana had nothing to do with its awesomeness. That crunchy bass line? That banging beat? And the melody is pop gold. I mean, it’s not like Miley had anything to do with the songwriting and production – she didn’t. She just sings. And the Auto-Tune makes her sound like sweet, sweet candy. Seriously. So stop pretending like you don’t love this song just because 14-year-old girls do, too. They’re not always wrong. Sponge Bob is still awesome.
For those of you still willing to lie and say you hate this song, and you don’t crank it when no one’s looking, nodding your head like yeah, moving your hips like yeah, let me ask you this: do you even like music? Seriously.
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
270. The Shins – New Slang
I heard all the brouhaha about Garden State and the hype surrounding this band, but I didn’t actually see the film until I met my good friend Kim in college. I believe it is still one of her favorite movies, and it is one that I enjoyed immensely, though I haven’t watched it since. I managed to get my hands on a copy of Oh, Inverted World back in high school, and, honestly, I didn’t really get it. Sure, the songs were pretty and soft, but I was initially bored. And dumb. It took repeated listens and a few years for me to appreciate it; what a brilliant little debut from a band that would, along with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, probably be the first in the new indie-Internet age to become too popular too quick.
When my dad brought home What I Like About You (And Other Romantic Hits) I thought it was a compilation of love songs from the 80’s by different people. Being ten years old, I had never heard of a band called the Romantics. I soon found out that all these awesome songs were by one under-rated, semi-forgotten new wave group.
Sure, we’ve all overheard the main track, especially if we watched car commercials in the 90’s. But this band had so many rocking hits, and they found the knack (pun) to mix punk, R&B, funk, and 50’s rock into one hell of a new sound for this innovative decade. Many don’t remember, but the Romantics were at the forefront of an explosion of a new sound that would envelop the next 10+ years of music. We can still hear their influence today, especially if we listen to current indie garage groups. These boys were always at the top of their game; catchy hooks, simple love-song lyrics, and straight-up rock and roll? What’s not to love? After all, it’s all Romantic.
It’s dreadful and wet here in the LBK – the city famous for NO draining system. The streets are flooded and there are holes in my shoes. Time to turn the heater back on. But on the plus side: Rainy Day Playlist! These tracks will get you wet. Promise.
I imagine Lafayette, Colorado, feels like Lubbock in many ways. It’s probably not as isolated as we are out here in West Texas, five hours from anything. After all, it’s a skip away from Boulder and is close enough to Denver to be a legit suburb. But when I listen to Gauntlet Hair, I get the feeling that there is a small, dedicated group of kids looking for something more than what is being offered, far from the shopping malls and skate parks, far from the Coca-Cola-sponsored arenas and dingy hip-hop night clubs, far from the culture-less void that is a quiet mountain town.
The single in question, the most-blogged about track from the group, is called “I Was Thinking.” You can listen/download below.
Prefix Mag described the song better than I ever could:
“…a pretty insatiable guitar stomp that throws some R&B and soul into the lo-fi revival pot, mixing heavily-reverbed guitars with a simple, but undeniably booty-shaking beat. Add in some Animal Collective-style vocal melodies and you’ve got something pretty fantastic.”
