(FYI, realized there was too much good music released this past year to only cover one artist/band a day. I’ll be featuring 2 or 3 a day from now on)
What do you get when you combine a former hardcore guitarist with a schoolteacher/and one-time member of a teenpop group? Just about the best American noise pop/lo-fi duo Brooklyn has to offer.
Sleigh Bells is composed of Derek E. Miller (songwriter, guitarist, producer) and Alexis Krauss (vocals). After a breakout year consisting of huge showings at music fests, such as CMJ and Coachella, tours with the likes of Yeasayer and LCD Soundsystem, a feature in Spike Jonz’s robot love story I’m Here, and signing with M.I.A.’s N.E.E.T. label, the duo released their debut full-length Treats. I’m still hashing out my best albums of 2010, but I can guarantee Treats is at least in the top 3 (I haven’t been as excited about a new band since The Go! Team released their first album).
The first Sleigh Bells track I heard, which still happens to be my favorite (actually it’s a tie between this and Rachel), is Crown on the Ground (as a little bonus, i’ve also included the Jane Bang remix). I hope you enjoy it as much as I have the past year, and definitely check out the rest of Treats if you haven’t already.
More Sleigh Bells @ myspace and infinitybells.com
LCD Soundsystem is anything but new to music blogs, so i’m going to keep this relatively short. This year, Mr. James Murphy released his third, and once again critically acclaimed album, This is Happening. Another definite addition to my best of 2010 list, this album is another must listen.
I’m trying to pick only one song per artist, which has proven to be much harder than expected, but I can easily say that Dance Yrself Clean is my favorite track from this album. I was lucky enough to see Sleigh Bells and LCD (and Hot Chip) share the stage this year and when LCD opened with this track, the crowd exploded (brace yourself for the 3:07 mark).
I can’t post the track (sorry), but you can listen to and preview tracks at lcdsoundsystem.com, myspace, & the hype machine
More LCD Soundsystem @ lcdsoundsystem.com
More (31) Days of Good @ 35mmBeats