Sometimes I have to pinch myself and think. Sleigh Bells only have one album out, and yet their music is posted all over the Internet! I certainly didn't find that debut stunning at all. A messy and unrefined musical barrage, their initial, primal sound clawed at my ears. 'Reign of Terror' however, seems to hint at a sonic evolution worthy of exploration. 'Born to Lose' grabbed my trepidation to listen last month and tore it apart, brutal drum machines and an incredible set of furious guitars emulating a better, beautifully complex ethos that I found lost on their first album. Swamped subtleties emerged from the depth, and 'Comeback Kid' continues to run with this new aesthetic. Pounding electronic synths and beats crash into Alexis Krauss' infectious ethereal vocals. The chorus here is perhaps too sparse, but then it does allow for interludes, between the spates of noise-pop conflict that bloody the sand! Keep your ears pricked for 'Reign of Terror, which drops on February 21st on Mom + Pop!
