This stuff combines all my dirtiest, guilty-pleasure pop secrets into a single, distinct sound with a stylistic aesthetic to match (captured by the awesome bloodstained Keds album art). In fact, for funsies, why don’t we run through that checklist of cheesy things I love?• ’60s girl-group vocals from a super-hot lady? Yup.• Drippy Rick Springfield […]
Sleigh Bells
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Royal Baths — Better Luck Next Life
The two comprise Brooklyn’s Royal Baths, and their second record, “Better Luck Next Life,” shows an impressive self-assuredness, conviction and carefully crafted sound that seems only common among the calculating acts from New York these days (see: Sleigh Bells, Body Language). They’re also savage and unafraid of dissonant guitar noises, something they probably learned from […]
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Givers — In Light
But because the album does a half-decent job of catching that lightning in a bottle, it is a glorious blast of summery goodness. I won’t gush over Givers’ live show; I did that once already. They are the most enthusiastic band I’ve ever seen, and some of that transfers over to the 10 songs that comprise […]
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Sleigh rides into town with rock
Noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells’ story is a charming one. Singer Alexis Krauss met guitarist/producer Derek Miller when he waited on her and her mother at a restaurant. Miller — who previously played guitar in the hard-core band Poison the Well — mentioned he was looking for a female vocalist for a new project. Krauss’ mom […]