Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Kid Kruschev - EP - Sleigh Bells

I discovered Sleigh Bells over Christmas Break in 2012, my freshman year of college. I remember this vividly because their sound was unlike anything else I had heard; this fusion of pop synths, hip-hop oriented beats, and insanely overdriven guitars, with these beautiful vocals from Alexis Krauss on top.  I was super impressed when I found out it's just two people who do the music; an impressive feat for songs with such a large presence. Their first album, Treats, is full of these collision moments,  of unlikely sounds coming together and utilizing dissonance to their advantage. Songs like "Infinity Guitars", "Crown On The Ground", and "Kids" were my favorites and had me raving about the band to my friends. I then discovered they had a second album out, Reign Of Terror, which I enjoyed, but not as thoroughly as Treats. I followed them through the next year, when they released Bitter Rivals, but they fell off my radar, in spite of releasing another album last year, Jessica Rabbit.

Fast forward to now, when I discovered they had a new EP out, Kid Kruschev. I decided to listen to it, even though I hadn't been as impressed with Jessica Rabbit. But by the time I was done listening to the opening track, "Blue Trash Mattress Fire", I was prepared to eagerly give the rest of the EP a listen.

The song opens with a slow climbing instrumental of various synth lines, accompanied by distant vocals from Krauss. It continues in this fashion until the 1:36 minute mark, where the overdriven guitars and booming beats come crashing in on a huge wall of sound. Krauss's voice is powerful, yet pretty, next to the gritty instrumental, highlighting the contrast I had so very appreciated about their earlier work. This track is my favorite from the EP, with the intensity and rollercoaster of highs and lows that it takes you on.

"Favorite Transgressions", "Panic Drills", and "Show Me The Door" are all tracks that also utilize elements of intensity that "Blue Trash Mattress Fire" opens the EP with. "Favorite Transgression" does so with the guitar and beats, but in a more upbeat and driving manner than the previous song. The momentum never lets up, wavering only slightly at moments where the beat drops out and specific synths or guitar lines are highlighted. At only 2:27 minutes long, it's a short but wild ride of a track. "Panic Drills" also utilizes the crunching guitar and thumping beats I love, but the song heavily relies on the contrast created by the moments that use those two elements and the moments that do not, simply relying on Krauss's vocals and synths. The contrast is so great that it's almost like the song has two different moods, something that is very rare to find. There's parts where the song has a poppy-rock sound that's upbeat and almost makes you want to smile, but there's parts where the synths and vocals create a melancholy vibe, giving different experiences within the same song. "Show Me The Door" uses thunder noises in the background of the beginning of the track, as well as a pulsing synth and steady beat that eventually slip into a moment of half time that's not unlike a breakdown in a rock/pop-punk song. It's an interesting sensation, listening to these deep, resounding beats and bright synths coming together in a way that makes you want to rock out and headbang. Near the two minute mark, a piano line comes in, providing contrast to all the synthetic noise happening around it.

The remaining songs branch out in different directions from the signature guitar and drum pairing, such as "Rainmaker", "Florida Thunderstorm", and "And Saints".
"Rainmaker" flows very well from the previous song before it ("Favorite Transgression"), with the band using a hi-hat/tambourine combo to actually create the sense of rain on certain parts. Contrast shows itself in the switch to big, booming synth bass lines accompanied by the beats, which seem to take the backseat on this track. Krauss's vocals feel like the highlight of the song, with the lyrics being especially relatable (about a break-up) as compared to some of the more abstract songs they've done previously. Lines like:

"I can hardly stand
I can hardly sleep
I can hardly speak
I can hardly breath

It was never really meant to be
You and me"

really paint a vivid picture while retaining a fair amount of simplicity, something all lyric writers should strive for. "Florida Thunderstorm" actually uses an acoustic guitar, something that I've hardly heard the band use on other tracks. The guitar and Krauss create a very stripped down, vulnerable-sounding song that in itself becomes contrast to the rest of the album. My favorite moment, however, is right at 1:07 minute mark, where a dissonant and distorted synth note rings out, and Krauss's vocals become distorted as well. The song then switches for about 30 seconds to just Krauss's voice and a pulse-like synth that is vulnerable in its own way before switching back to guitar and an added string line (cello, I think) that fades out. "And Saints" uses just synths and vocals, with the former being stylized in a way that also partially provides a beat, and the latter uses some great layering to create almost choral moments, echoing voices crying out to "Tear up, tear up, gear up, stand up". It's haunting in the way it's composed, also due to the other, more subtle synth line that's flowing in the background like a ghost. It's a really interesting note to end the EP on, because it isn't a "calm" song thanks to the haunting vibe, but it also feels intense without being high energy.

I didn't have that many expectations going into this EP, as I had not been following the band as closely as I once had. After a few listens to the album, I found myself much more impressed than I expected to be. It feels like a lot of the elements that I really enjoyed about the band were present again, but also with some experimentation that didn't feel forced or overdone as it had on previous releases. Kid Krushev definitely focuses the attention more on the gritty, almost out of balance sound than a polished, pop tone that I was alright with but never impressed by. The band definitely has my attention back, if this is the direction they're going to continue in. Dark, brooding music that pushes the listener as much as it pushes the musician. I'm all about supporting that.

Rating: 4/5

Recommended: "Blue Trash Mattress Fire", "Favorite Transgressions", "Show Me The Door"

Related: Phantogram, Cults, Best Coast

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