Sleigh Bells

Sleigh Bells
Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells performing at the South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas in March 2010.
Background information
Also known as	Sleigh Bells
Origin	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Genres	Noise pop, power pop, dance-punk
Years active	2008 (2008)–present
Labels	Mom + Pop, N.E.E.T.
Associated acts	Poison the Well
Website	www.infinitybells.com
Members
Derek E. Miller Alexis Krauss

Sleigh Bells is an American noise pop music duo. The group released their debut album, Treats, on May 11, 2010.

History

Based in Brooklyn, New York, Sleigh Bells is composed of Derek E. Miller (songwriter, guitarist, producer) and Alexis Krauss (vocals, songwriter). Miller was formerly the guitarist for the hardcore band Poison the Well, and Krauss was a member of the teen pop group Rubyblue. Krauss also appeared in a Nickelodeon Magazine commercial as a young girl.^[1][2]

Sleigh Bells EP (2008-2009)

The duo met and formed in 2008. Miller was waiting tables on Alexis and her mother at a neighborhood Brazilian restaurant called Miss Favela^[3] when he mentioned he was looking for a female vocalist to work with on a musical project; Krauss' mother immediately volunteered her. The duo performed at the CMJ Music Marathon in October 2009.^[1] They signed to M.I.A.'s N.E.E.T. Recordings soon after and Mom + Pop Recordings.^[4] The two quickly got in the studio and recorded a 7 track self-titled EP. Their EP soon gained attention from The Guardian, New York Times, Pitchfork Media, ABC News's Amplified, and other sources. Stereogum named them a Band To Watch October 22, 2009.^[5] The Guardian named them Band of the Day in December 2009.^[6] Pitchfork named their song "Crown on the Ground" the 57th best track of 2009.^[7] 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 (2010–2011)

The group released "Tell 'Em", the first single from their debut album, Treats, as a free download in April 2010.^[8] Treats was released on May 11, 2010 exclusively through the iTunes Store by Mom + Pop Music.^[9] They performed at the 2010 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2010,^[10] the Primavera Sound Festival in May 2010,^[11] 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 in a 4th season episode of Gossip Girl. The song "Kids" off of the album Treats was used in an advert for Koppaberg and the Promo for MTV's Skins, adaption of UK series. 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.^[12]

Second studio album (2012)

Sleigh Bells began tracking songs for their second studio album in June 2011 with an early 2012 release date anticipated. Describing the sound of the new album, Krauss said, "It sounds really huge, so there's going to still be tons of volume."^[13]

Other

The Sleigh Bells song "Kids" was featured in a recent trailer of the 2011 game, Bodycount (video game) as well as their song "Infinity Guitars" in a trailer of Brothers in Arms: Furious 4. Additionally, "Tell 'Em" was featured in a teaser commercial for X Games 17. The song "Kids" was also featured in the trailer of the movie Abduction and in the trailer of the game FIFA 12.

Discography

• Sleigh Bells (Self-released, 2009)
• Treats (Mom + Pop/N.E.E.T., 2010)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Dombal, Ryan (July 12, 2010). "Pitchfork: Sleigh Bells". Pitchfork. http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/7831-sleigh-bells//. Retrieved July 22, 2010. 
2. ^ "Youtube: Nickelodeon Magazine's Ad". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5VFxeikXPg//. Retrieved December 30, 2010. 
3. ^ Marino, Nick (October 14, 2010). "Do Not Adjust Your iPod". LA Weekly. http://www.laweekly.com/2010-10-14/music/do-not-adjust-your-ipod/. Retrieved October 17, 2010. 
4. ^ Young, Alex (March 15, 2010). "M.I.A. announces U.S. date, releases new Sleigh Bells album". Consequence of Sound. http://consequenceofsound.net/2010/03/15/m-i-a-announces-u-s-date-releases-new-sleigh-bells-album/. Retrieved May 16, 2010. 
5. ^ Singh, Amrit (October 22, 2009). "Band To Watch: Sleigh Bells". Stereogum. http://stereogum.com/97041/band_to_watch_sleigh_bells/franchises/band-to-watch/. Retrieved October 22, 2010. 
6. ^ Lester, Paul (December 1, 2009). "New band of the day - No 680: Sleigh Bells". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/dec/01/new-band-sleigh-bells. Retrieved October 22, 2010. 
7. ^ "Pitchfork: Staff Lists: The Best 100 Tracks of 2009". Pitchfork. December 14, 2009. http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7742-the-top-100-tracks-of-2009/5/. Retrieved May 16, 2010. 
8. ^ Saba, Michael (April 29, 2010). "Listen to Sleigh Bells' First Single "Tell 'Em"". Paste. http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/04/listen-to-sleigh-bells-first-single-tell-em.html. Retrieved April 30, 2010. 
9. ^ "Sleigh Bells reveal debut album’s tracklist". FACT. April 29, 2010. http://www.factmag.com/2010/04/29/sleigh-bells-reveal-treats-tracklist/. Retrieved May 16, 2010. 
10. ^ Martens, Todd (March 31, 2010). "Coachella, beyond the main stage: Sleigh Bells can ring a racket". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/03/coachella-beyond-the-mainstage-sleigh-bells-can-ring-a-racket.html. Retrieved April 1, 2010. 
11. ^ http://www.archive.org/details/OlasKoolKitchenSleighBellsLiveSetPrimavera2010
12. ^ YouTube: What if? Ad | Windows Phone 7 Official TV Commercial. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
13. ^ Helton, Eric; Murphy, Matthew (May 13, 2011). "Sleigh Bells: Reveal details of their next album". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/videos/new-and-hot/sleigh-bells-reveal-details-of-their-next-album-20110513. Retrieved May 14, 2011. 

External links

• Official website
• Sleigh Bells on Myspace
• Interview with Derek Miller
• Sleigh Bells discography at Discogs
• BEAT magazine interview with Derek and Alexis