Moroni's Review of Sleigh Bell's "Reign of Terror"

I have a theory - nostalgia comes in waves about every twenty years to the point that it influences pop culture.  For instance, in the '70s, we had "Happy Days", remembering the '60s.  In the '80s, we had "The Wonder Years", looking back to the '60s.  In  the '90s, we had "That 70s Show", etc.

We love decade before the last one.  Conversely, we loathe the previous decade.  Growing up in the '80s, I hated that I used to wear bell bottoms in the '70s, but people started wearing them again in the late '90s.  (Not me.)

This nostalgia results in bands that sound like flashbacks to that time period.

As a teen in the late '80s, I started to take an interest in music from the '60s.  Not only was I wearing tie-dyes, but the music of the decade before I was born started to interest me.  Moreover, the bands of my teen years sounded like throwbacks to the '60s.  I'm not talking the Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Michael Jackson crap that was prevalent on the radio back then - I'm talking about the underground music scene.

R.E.M. sounded like the Byrds.  The Smiths definitely took their cue from those early days.  The Jesus & Mary Chain, the Stone Roses, the Primitives - most of these bands of the '80s were heavily influenced and used the distorted guitars and vocals usually associated with the psychedelic rock of the '60s like the Shangri-Las or the Mamas and the Papas.

Of course, they made the sound their own - with a modern twist, and by the '90s, it was a sub-genre of its own.  Bands like My Bloody Valentine and Lush had the swirling guitars of '60s rock (and an influence provided by Cocteau Twins, my favorite band, as well.)  The critics labeled this sub-genre "shoegazing", because the musicians usually played subdued and moody sets typified by the artists gazing down at their shoes while they played, their hair hanging in their faces.

When I look for new music, I will usually browse through mp3 sites.  I came across the band Sleigh Bells, but I didn't even consider listening to it because of the name.  It sounded too festive, too Christmasy.  The next day, however, my brother posted a link to one of Sleigh Bells videos on Facebook, and I was hooked.  (Plus their singer is hot.)  I downloaded their album "Reign of Terror".

When I listened to it, the first thing I did was think, "This sounds just like Lush."  The dreamy vocals and the watery guitars.  But I can look past that.  From everything that I have written above, I LIKE when artists pay homage to earlier eras.  I loved it when my favorite bands in the '80s sounded like bands from the '60s.  It allowed me to imagine that I lived in the '60s.  And I love that all of the good bands today sound like bands that I liked in the '80s.  It gives me the illusion that my tastes are still relevant.

The first track - "True Shred Guitar" - truly sucks.  The music is played over the noise of a cheering stadium with Alexis Krauss, the vocalist, shouting at the audience.  Then they launch into this faux heavy metal episode that is grating.  Not a good way to start an album.

By the second track (which is called "Born To Lose") I was hooked - the distorted guitars.  After that, there is not a bad song on the album.  My favorites are "Crush" and "End of the Line".  "Comeback Kid" is a great first single for the album.  "Leader of the Pack" almost seems like an homage to the Shangri-Las, and I say this because Krauss sings like she belongs in that group.  "Demons" is a much better attempt at heavy metal.  "Road to Hell" and "You Lost Me" are beautifully mellow and discordant.  The album closes out with the dreamy "D.O.A."

I really don't know much about Sleigh Bells as a band.  But I am grateful for the much-needed trip down memory lane.  I would definitely recommend this album.