Of course, the group’s bread-and-butter is still in writing catchy, noisy guitar-based pop songs with a distinct electronic edge, and there’s plenty of that to go around on the album, but the duo is also adept at recognizing when to pepper in moments of contrasting instrumentation to freshen up the songs and reinvigorate the listener.
It’s sometimes a relentless assault on the eardrums, a hailstorm of sounds that induce the aural equivalent of a milkshake brainfreeze if you turn the volume up too high, though Sleigh Bells are wise enough to punctuate the tracks with enough moments of pop levity to allow the senses to recover.
Having processed pop's romanticism/nihilism/cynicism, as well as the familiar modern sounds those isms have inspired, Miller refines the duo's roiling, retro-future chest-bumps into agile, anger-is-an-energy chin-checks.
Krauss is on delicious vocal form throughout, sounding both as fierce and feminine as ever, matching cutting lyrics with sounds so girlish they almost risk being cutesy.
It is indeed celebratory; it is a lurch into unknown waters, and it is nothing like their previous full-lengths.
The record doesn’t quite reach the heights of Treats, but scores a solid hit for a style that didn’t seem like it could sustain more than one album.
Bitter Rivals‘ more diffuse nature seems to have prevented them from impressing their personality on their music in quite the same manner; it’s difficult to rate it as highly as a result, but this remains a solid effort from a band I didn’t expect to still be showing quite so much potential on their third full-length.
Unlike 2012′s unlovable ‘Reign Of Terror’, there’s a sense of playfulness on show, specifically on the OTT title track and the ridiculous ‘Tiger Kit’ which features a sample of a cow mooing.
Last year’s ‘Reign Of Terror’ album was noticeably slicker than 2010’s debut ‘Treats’, and ‘Bitter Rivals’ is even more savagely catchy. It wields its hooks like weapons.
Sleigh Bells' studies in contrasts aren't shocking anymore, but the fact that they sound more natural on Bitter Rivals makes this some of their most enjoyable music since Treats.
Bitter Rivals probably isn’t going to top Treats on anyone’s list of favorite Sleigh Bells albums, but it at least shows that Miller and Krauss are interested in branching out sonically.
Ultimately, Bitter Rivals is a mish-mosh of songs: some good, some of high quality though tempered by and succumbing to poppiness, and some that shouldn’t have made the final cut.
It isn't enough of a disaster to put a dent in their solid fanbase, but it doesn't have the spark of the stuff that built it up in the first place.
It's always encouraging to watch bands evolving and progressing rather than churning out album after album of the same sound—but with Bitter Rivals, Sleigh Bells haven't quite hit all the targets they're aiming for.
Sleigh Bells have essentially put together a 30-minute homage to Kid Rock’s “Cowboy”, and proven two to be the magic number of Sleigh Bells albums that can be enjoyed before something’s gotta give.
fall from grace, but still solid. definitely really, REALLY hook reliant, and that causes some downfalls. also, there’s less… noise? like, less compression, less loudness, and a lot less in general in comparison to Treats. still sweet and cute indie rock / noise pop
pois bem, o som aqui tem uma mudança perceptível, uma bem arriscada com resultados variados.
o terceiro álbum da banda Sleigh Bells mostra um som mais pop no noise pop ao invés do noise pop dos álbuns anteriores, oq é no mínimo uma mudança estranha e questionável.
aqui, o som perde aquele jeito único que dava mto certo com o estilo deles que eles tinham. a forma como eles fazem mudam n muda, mas o charme em si mudou, ... read more
fall from grace, but still solid. definitely really, REALLY hook reliant, and that causes some downfalls. also, there’s less… noise? like, less compression, less loudness, and a lot less in general in comparison to Treats. still sweet and cute indie rock / noise pop
pois bem, o som aqui tem uma mudança perceptível, uma bem arriscada com resultados variados.
o terceiro álbum da banda Sleigh Bells mostra um som mais pop no noise pop ao invés do noise pop dos álbuns anteriores, oq é no mínimo uma mudança estranha e questionável.
aqui, o som perde aquele jeito único que dava mto certo com o estilo deles que eles tinham. a forma como eles fazem mudam n muda, mas o charme em si mudou, ... read more
1 | Bitter Rivals 3:19 | 68 |
2 | Sugarcane 2:47 | 72 |
3 | Minnie 3:01 | 70 |
4 | Sing Like a Wire 2:35 | 78 |
5 | Young Legends 2:50 | 69 |
6 | Tiger Kit 2:55 | 72 |
7 | You Don't Get Me Twice 2:43 | 68 |
8 | To Hell With You 3:09 | 70 |
9 | 24 2:58 | 65 |
10 | Love Sick 3:09 | 75 |