Sleigh Bells - Jessica Rabbit (2016) [FLAC]

Sleigh Bells - Jessica Rabbit (2016) [FLAC]

Genre: Rock
Styles: Indie, Noise Pop
Source: CD (log + cue)
Codec: FLAC
Bit rate: ~ 900 kbps
Bit depth: 16
Sample rate: 44.1 kHz

01 It's Just Us Now
02 Torn Clean
03 Lighting Turns Sawdust Gold
04 I Can't Stand You Anymore
05 Crucible
06 Loyal for
07 I Can Only Stare
08 Throw Me Down the Stairs
09 Unlimited Dark Paths
10 I Know Not to Count on You
11 Rule Number One
12 Baptism By Fire
13 Hyper Dark
14 As if

For Sleigh Bells, the blurring boundaries between pop's mainstream and underground are a blessing and a curse. Sometimes the results are outlandish, even by Miller and Krauss' standards: "Throw Me Down the Stairs," which combines '80s metal riffs with ambient passages, is one of their wildest pastiches yet. Other times, they're almost straightforward; "Baptism by Fire" delivers sparkly pop that makes the most of Krauss' vocals. More than ever, her voice is the anchor for Sleigh Bells' stylistic swings. "I'm loyal -- for now," she sings at one point on Jessica Rabbit, capturing the moment-to-moment existence within their songs. It also feels like there's more purpose, and righteous anger, anchoring their experiments. Authenticity is a major theme, with Krauss crooning "the real thing" over guitar outbursts on "It's Just Us Now" and comparing blood to plastic on "Lightning Turns Sawdust Gold." Though the duo excel at putting their contents under pressure on songs like "Crucible" and "Rule Number One," where the riffs ripple like shockwaves, Sleigh Bells also allow listeners a few more breathers. The "uh oh"s that punctuate "Hyper Dark"'s shattered balladry hint at Jessica Rabbit's state of emergency, while "Torn Clean" is one of the band's prettiest songs yet. Contrasts like these have been Sleigh Bells' modus operandi since the beginning, but Jessica Rabbit's mix of brashness and finesse proves they can still thrill