Sleigh Bells Review: Bitter Rivals

Sleigh Bells
Bitter Rivals

Sleigh Bells may not ever go down as one of the best bands of this musical generation, but dammit if this Brooklyn spawned two piece isn’t one of the more fun acts around. Their music is loud. It’s punchy. And it’s infectious. When first hitting the scene with Treats, Sleigh Bells’ sound was brilliant, new, and fresh. Following up with Reign of Terror, without changing their sound, they were able to continue to garner praise and expand their fan base. Now with the release of their third album Bitter Rivals, they are once again able to hang on to that signature high octane, overdriven sound. But will their still-young audience stay interested?

LxListening: I Don’t Like It Unless It’s Brand New

The irony in the title of course is that the song “Brand New” by Rhymefest ft. Kanye West is now almost five years old. Nonetheless, here are some of my favorite actual new tracks for your weekend that have all been getting some heavy play time in my headphones lately:

Sleigh Bells – “You Don’t Get Me Twice”

LxListening: A Very Full Week in Music

The big release of the week, at least in our minds, was Nine Inch Nail’s Hesitation Marks.  But this has been a pretty full week in music.  One of Justin Vernon’s “non-Bon Iver” projects, Volcano Choir, released their sophomore effort to mostly positive marks.  Neko Case (aka the next best thing to Jenny Lewis) released her first album in four years.  The perpetually underrated Okkervil River released another solid effort.  I was also introduced to a new artist (for me) called The Julie Ruin, which I was rather delighted with.  And finally, wait for it, I give some love to an artist who released my most hated album of 2012.  All in all, an overwhelming week in music, and since we won’t be able to give every one of these artists their full due, here is a little Friday snippet of each.  Enjoy y’all.

The Julie Ruin – “Oh Come On”

This song is so damn fun.  Kinda like a lower-fi Sleigh Bells and a little bit looser.  “Oh Come On” is a quick two and a half minutes of blustery mayhem, and one of the ballsier additions to my iTunes library in 2013.  Can’t wait to hear more.

LxL’s Best Albums of 2012

2012 turned out to be a pretty great year in music.  I think all three of us would agree the offerings in 2012 were deep in really good albums, without many albums rising to the level of true greatness.  That being said, I think I would rather have a pool of 60-80 really good albums come out in a year than 9-10 great albums.  Around here, we like variety, and we certainly got it this year.  There was a surprisingly surge of good hip-hop released in the second half of the year (Killer Mike, Nas, Meek Mill).  There was the long-awaited return of all-timer female singer songwriter types (Fiona Apple, Cat Power, Regina Spektor).  And there were also several much-anticipated sophomore wide releases (Sleigh Bells, Tame Impala, Beach House, Twin Shadow).  All in all, there may not have been a lot of perfect albums this year, but it was still a great year in music.  Enjoy the top 20.

Top Ten Thursday: Best Live Acts of 2012

Our best of the year coverage continues with our favorite rockers of the road, highlighting the ten best live shows we saw this year. This year LxL was able to get out to Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and the Pitchfork music festival, which many shows on this list stem from. So without further ado, here are our ten favorite live acts of the year.