3.26.2011

Boys & Girls

Woo! Saturday!


Yeah, so, after a solid week of consistently fleshed out pieces about hip hop and unending adoration for local artists, I'm feeling tapped. I may have also been to a happy hour with my better half - this is a Herculean effort just to type coherently. So instead of talking your ear off about Doomtree or Rhymesayers, I thought I'd just drop hints about something most hipsters are up on, in case you haven't heard.


And what, prey tell, am I alluding to? The infinitely dance-able tracks of Sleigh Bells (WARNING - Epilepsy may ensue).
The duo from Brooklyn are known for their poppy, blown out sound and heavy, thudding beats. Garnering a buzz before their first album, Treats, was even released, they have had critical adoration and decent sales to their name. Basically if you're young and have access to the web, you already know who they are. If not, take a look here for their awesomely cheesy video for the crunching blast of 'Infinity Guitars'. The clip is a bad ass affair, full of Catholic School girl outfits, denim jackets and sports cars - Mac and Dennis would no doubt be proud. The big single the duo released was the cacophonous 'Tell 'Em', all snapping drums and screaming guitar licks. It's like seeing the 80s re-born into a modern, irony-packed environment that is fully aping that style while grinning the whole time. Seeking further proof you've missed out on the wave of awesomely blown-out music? Listen to 'New Prince' and try not to dance. Go ahead. I'll wait. I'll be right here.
Honestly, I love this group but what makes it even better is hearing it further re-contextualized via Childish Gambino. His rapping over the tracks for 'Infinity Guitars' makes the song even better, another dope layer of swagger on top of the ridiculous bad-assery already accounted for. His bouncy rapping over the already funky 'New Prince' is like peanut butter and chocolate - each is great on their own, but even better when put together. Maybe they should get together and do an EP? One can only hope. It just goes to show, along with the week long theme on Doomtree, that to be a good MC you don't have to be a hood rat or thug - you need to be smart and talented. Clever wordplay and a sense of what works goes a lot farther than a hard street rep these days. So says someone in Uptown.
Sleigh Bells was lighting it up at SXSW this year and have been hard at work on a new album, although they have yet to debut any new songs for fear of bootleggers leaking rough versions. In the meantime, head over to iTunes and check their album to see what's been going on. See you tomorrow!