Sleigh Bells
Reign Of Terror
Mom + Pop (2012)
Derek Edward Miller and Alexis Krauss start this record like it's a Van Halen concert. They're tricking you into thinking that maybe after the Skins commercials that had everyone humming "Kids," after the Williamsburg and Pitchfork royalty fame, and after all the music festivals they attended last year, they were going to take things in a different direction - maybe a little more heavy metal. Before Reign of Terror came out, the band even described the album as "heavy, immense, and huge." Sounds pretty metal, to me. But instead, they hit you again with a distorted, loud, synthesized ballad with Krauss' eerie, soft almost Marilyn Monroe-esque tone - "Born to Loose" and that's when you start to feel the relief of something familiar.A sophomore album needs to be tactfully done these days if you want to even make a third album. A lot of fans are complaining because the record is too "safe". I too, would have liked to see this record be a little more experimental than it is, but I think Miller and Krauss are smart and they're going to do everything they can so they don't suffer from the dreaded sophomore slump. They're going to do what … Read more
Pallbearer
Sorrow And Extinction
Profound Lore (2012)
Arkansas residents Pallbearer have been a band to watch out for ever since the release of a fantastic three track … Read more
Shell Shag
Fuck Society
Mauled by Tigers (2012)
What if you could have all the great hits of the early 90s on one record: Liz Phair, INXS, Archers … Read more
