Treats (album)

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Treats
Studio album by Sleigh Bells
Released May 11, 2010
Genre Noise pop, noise rock
Length 32:05
Label Mom + Pop Music, N.E.E.T.
Producer Derek E. Miller
Sleigh Bells chronology

Sleigh Bells
(2009)		 Treats
(2010)		 Reign of Terror
(2012)
Singles from Treats
  1. "Tell 'Em"
    Released: April 28, 2010
  2. "Infinity Guitars"
    Released: November 8, 2010
  3. "Riot Rhythm"
    Released: February 11, 2011[1]

Treats is the debut studio album by American noise rock duo Sleigh Bells, released jointly on May 11, 2010 by Mom+Pop and N.E.E.T. Recordings.

Recording

Derek E. Miller's rough demos gained the attention of Spike Jonze and M.I.A.. Miller stated that the ensuing positive feedback and his "dream collaboration" working with M.I.A. in her studio on the album Maya (2010) gave him the confidence to do the Treats record without opting for a co-producer.[2] Miller worked with M.I.A. on the track "Meds and Feds" in 2009, following which she signed the group to her label N.E.E.T.[3] Alexis Krauss said of M.I.A.: "It's really exciting to have her in our court and be able to work with her. At this point it's more about being part of a creative community and the day-to-day running of the business is pretty much Mom + Pop's job. It's the fact that she had interest in us literally before anyone else cared at all which definitely boosted our confidence.”[3] The track "Treats" contains an interpolation of the song "Meds and Feds".

Vocalist Alexis Krauss spoke of her enjoyment at the collaborative nature of the album making process with Miller, telling Drowned in Sound: “When we got into the studio we began collaborating more. There's a few tracks on the album - "Tell Em", "Riot Rhythms", "Run the Heart" – which definitely became more collaborative in terms of me doing more work on melodies, harmonies and we plan on further explorations of this in the future."[3] She also spoke of the different vocal styles she employed to convey the meanings of each song. "On a song like "Infinity Guitars", obviously the delivery is going to be much more aggressive and menacing while a song like "Rill Rill", you are occupying a much different state of mind when you're delivering those vocals.”[3] While recording in Portland, the band employed people in the studio to contribute to "A/B Machines".

Treats was recorded in January and February 2010.

Promotion

Prior to the album's release, the track "Tell 'Em" was released as a free download on April 28, 2010 via the Mom + Pop website.[4]

The second single from the album was the track "Infinity Guitars." A music video for the song premiered on NME's website on Monday, September 20, and the single was released on November 8, 2010.[5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic (84/100) [6]
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [7]
Alternative Press [8]
Chicago Tribune [9]
Entertainment Weekly (A-)[10]
Los Angeles Times [11]
NME [12]
Paste (9.3/10)[13]
Pitchfork (8.7/10)[14]
Popmatters (9/10)[15]
Robert Christgau (A-)[16]

Treats received a range of positive reviews. Paste gave the album 9.3/10 or a "phenomenal" rating, and said that it is "a supremely raw and visceral pop masterwork". Pitchfork writer Mark Richardson gave the album 8.7/10, earning it a "Best New Music" accolade, stating that it sounds "remarkably fresh and unlike anything else right now". Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly awarded Treats an A-, describing the sound as "genre-swerving". Rolling Stone gave it three-and-a-half stars with reviewer Jon Dolan citing it as "noise that's friendly and cute, primitivism that masks pop smarts and respect for tradition".[17] UK-based review aggregator AnyDecentMusic? correlated 33 reviews with an ADM Rating of 8.1.[18] Treats has a Metacritic aggregate normalized score of 84 out of 100, indicating "Universal Acclaim". Rolling Stone magazine placed "Infinity Guitars" at #21 on their list of the Best Singles of 2010.[19]

Exclaim! named "Treats" the No. 16 Pop & Rock Album of 2010.<ref name= Exclaim!'s Year in Review - Top Pop & Rock Albums of 2010>"Pop & Rock Year in Review". Exclaim!. </ref> Pitchfork placed it at number 16 on its list "The Top 50 Albums of 2010".[20] Entertainment Weekly rated "Treats" ninth out of ten for their best albums of 2010.

Track listing

All music composed by Sleigh Bells.
No. Title Length
1. "Tell 'Em"   2:56
2. "Kids"   2:46
3. "Riot Rhythm"   2:37
4. "Infinity Guitars"   2:32
5. "Run the Heart"   2:41
6. "Rachel"   2:19
7. "Rill Rill"   3:50
8. "Crown on the Ground"   3:49
9. "Straight A's"   1:32
10. "A/B Machines"   3:35
11. "Treats"   3:29
Total length:
 32:00
  • "Rill Rill" samples "Can You Get to That?" by Funkadelic.

Charts

The week following its release, Treats placed at #39 on the overall Billboard 200 Albums Chart, selling 12,100 copies while coming in at #4 on the Independent Albums Chart. It has since sold 148,000 copies in the States. It peaked at 12 on the UK indie Charts

According to year end charts worldwide the album sold a total of 500,000 copies.

Personnel

  • Derek E. Miller - writing, guitar, production
  • Alexis Krauss - vocals, writing

References

  1. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Riot Rhythm - Single by Sleigh Bells". Itunes.apple.com. 2011-02-11. Retrieved 2012-03-12. 
  2. ↑ Lindsay, Cam (2010-05-11). "Exclaim News: Sleigh Bells Talk Spike Jonze, M.I.A., and Being Years Ahead of their Dreams". Exclaim. Retrieved 2010-06-07. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Barrett, Brad (1 September 2010). "DiS Meets Sleigh Bells". Retrieved 10 September 2010. 
  4. ↑ "Sleigh Bells "Tell ‘Em" on Pitchfork.com! | Mom + Pop Music". Momandpopmusic.com. 2010-04-28. Retrieved 2012-03-12. 
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ "Treats – Sleigh Bells". metacritic. Retrieved 14 February 2012. 
  7. ↑ Phares, Heather. "Treats – Sleigh Bells". Allmusic. 
  8. ↑ "Alternative Press | Reviews". Altpress.com. Retrieved 2012-03-12. 
  9. ↑ "Album review: Sleigh Bells, 'Treats'". Chicago Tribune. 2010-06-01. 
  10. ↑ Greenblatt, Leah (2010-05-28). "Treats Sleigh Bells | Music". Entertainment Weekly (1104). p. 70. Retrieved 2010-05-30.  Posted on 2010-05-20.
  11. ↑ "Album review: Sleigh Bells' 'Treats' | Pop & Hiss |". Los Angeles Times. 2010-05-25. Retrieved 2010-05-30. 
  12. ↑ "NME Review". 
  13. ↑ Saba, Michael (2010-05-11). "Sleigh Bells: Treats :: Music :: Reviews :: Paste". Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2010-05-30. 
  14. ↑ Richardson, Mark (2010-05-14). "Sleigh Bells "Treats" album review". pitchfork.com. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2010-05-30. 
  15. ↑ Pan, Arnold. "Sleigh Bells: Treats < PopMatters". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2010-05-30. 
  16. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Sleigh Bells: Treats < MSN Music". http://social.entertainment.msn.com/music/blogs/expert-witness-blog.aspx. Retrieved 2010-05-30. 
  17. ↑ Dolan, Jon (2010-06-10). "Sleigh Bells Treats > Music Review". Rolling Stone (1106). p. 74. 
  18. ↑ "Treats by Sleigh Bells reviews". Any Decent Music. 2010-06-21. Retrieved 2012-03-12. 
  19. ↑ "Rolling Stone's Best Singles of 2010". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2010-12-08. 
  20. ↑ "Staff Lists: The Top 50 Albums of 2010 | Features". Pitchfork. 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2012-03-12. 
Sleigh Bells
  • Alexis Krauss
  • Derek Miller
Studio albums
EP
  • Sleigh Bells
Singles
Related
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