Sleigh Bells at the Vogue

Wednesday, May 25 2011

I once mistakenly thought the minimalist and rapid fire lyrics of “A/B Machines” by Sleigh Bells went, “Got my A machines on the table, got my B machines on tour”. Of course I am now more informed and aware that is not how the song goes- there's a point to this, I assure you. Right before I took the trip to the Vogue to see Sleigh Bells, easily one of my most eagerly anticipated shows of the year, I got to thinking about an interview I recently saw with Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller, discussing the group, the new album (!) and touring. They both agreed while touring had its merits, it was a gruelling endeavour that forced them out of the studio for too long, keeping new ideas and songs mostly on the back burner much to their lament. I was thinking about these two things on the way to the show, for the first time, and only for a brief moment, worried that maybe they wouldn't put their all into it, that the visceral and intimidating energy they exude would be at least in part absent from the stage. Such fears were unwarranted; Sleigh Bells was absolutely incredible. To use their own referential and slightly obnoxious tour branding- they slayed it

But first, a few words about opening act Neon Indian. Vaguely familiar with them at best, having heard a few tracks, but apparently I could never be bothered to listen to their LP Psychic Chasms in it's entirety. I did so before the show- it's good. A bit high pitched at times, at others the melodies seem a little obscured by distortions, but it's worth a listen. Neon Indian is band that translates much better to the live stage. Being deprived of much of the post production trickery they over indulged in leads to crisper and leaner sounding music- witch is actually odd considering how many acts struggle to achieve clarity during live performances. I liked Alan Palomo's charisma, but I felt his voice lacked distinction. It's not like he was phoning it or not putting on a show, it just seemed to need a little more seasoning perhaps. At risk of delving too much into the specifics of the opening band, I will say that the lead track from their LP, “Psychic Chasms” sounded goddamn stunning. The album version sounds fine, but the main rhythm is too compacted, with notes created by synthesizers that sound like flat clarinet notes being forced out at too high a pitch. Performed live however, the beat is spread out a little more and this time created using more traditional key boards. The sound is so much more rich and elegant. It sounded fantastic- I would go see them again just for that song.

Moving on the main act, I often debate with myself on which song a band should open with when performing. I found myself unable to reach a satisfying conclusion on the matter this time- I could think of many good ways to start the set, but none any more convincing than the other. Sleigh Bells had their own, more innovative approach to the issue. Derek Miller strutted on stage and began playing not one of their tracks, but instead starting hammering out the “Iron Man” riff- as loud as anyone ever heard it. From there Alexis Krauss sauntered on stage, wearing what I thought at first was a #23 Bulls jersey, oddly enough. It was actually custom made, and said Bells- clever. Krauss, with her candy coated leggings and bright red jersey, was all about flash and pop; Miller had a polar opposite wardrobe, a Nirvana tee and a plaid shirt. As if they anticipated just how long it would take the Iron Man gag to transition from amusing to cumbersome, Miller swiftly jumped into “Crown on the Ground” and the show proper began.

I was really impressed with the set up on stage. They cleared away nearly everything from the Neon Indian set up leaving only a large square cluster of monolithic speakers in the center of the back of the stage. Attached to the structure were a set of microphones feeding the sound into the large speakers permanently affixed to the ceilings of the Vogue. All of the speakers from the side had been removed as well; the result was an intensely loud sound throughout that was directly and forcibly right in front of you, however the lack of  periphery speakers on the side alleviated the piercing sound that often penetrates my ears. Bordering and intertwining through the speakers were ribbons of lights like pulsating purple veins. In other words, it looked cool and sounded terrific- pretty ideal. The lack of stage clutter also facilitated Krauss and Miller's penchant for dancing all over the place. Miller struts, but Krauss dances. They definitely know how to move with and around each other, with one often receding into the back of the stage giving the other prominence. Surprisingly Miller took center stage just as often as Krauss did, and he had just as much stage presence to carry the show.

There were a few caveats to a Sleigh Bells show that I understood going into it that were regretfully unavoidable. Namely, there's only two of them so they had to make due with a drum machine. Other tracks, such the piano laden “Rill Rill” or the effervescent synth track “Rachel” were never meant to be recreated on stage, translated via Miller's guitar. So for some tracks such as the aforementioned, Krauss just performed over prerecorded tracks. However the parts where it really counted, Krauss's downright heavenly voice and Miller's rapturous guitar were present in all their contrasting glory. To no one's surprise, Krauss sings just as well as fans would hope. I was half expecting the more ephemeral and euphonic notes that punctuate so much of her work to be toned down partly, simply by nature oh how hard they must be to consistently and successfully hit. She however seemed more comfortable and natural occupying the upper limit of the vocal spectrum, instead opting to go easier on the more visceral and grating lower notes. During these instances, such as the entirety of “Infinity Guitars” or most of “Riot Rhythm”, she seemed less like a feral beast and more of volatile and crass MC at the pep rally from hell. The vocal alterations constituted a slightly different aural symmetry between her and Miller than one may ave anticipated, but it was no less compelling.

They duo played a new track, presumably from the new album- it was quite good; more of a heavy hitter in the vein of “Infinity Guitars”. Surprisingly, it was more of a duet with Miller singing half of the track as well. I really enjoyed it, and hopefully this is a sign of the group willing to partly eschew their successful formula in favour of experimenting with their group dynamic. I don't expect Sleigh Bells to grow stale any time soon. Speaking of almost duets, while I partly lament the use of back up tracks in place of a full band and instrumentation, they actually managed to use it too their advantage at times. During “Riot Rhythm” that back up vocals of Krauss- where she sings at an aggressively high pitch and tempo- remained in place. However she performed the more prominent and paramount vocal tracks- which is a little more relaxed and soothing- in real time. It was like she was singing with her self. It seemed familiar and distinctly unique all at once. But the highest point of the evening definitely had to be “Treats”. It was as loud a song as you'll ever need to hear. The room was shaking, the strobe lights were disorienting at best and blinding at worst- which even then was still pretty cool. Between Miller and the claustrophobic terror inducing light show, the stage had turned into an apocalyptic maelstrom of stimuli. But right in the middle was Krauss, perfectly calm, and absolutely commanding. Amidst the growing chaos, she maintained the elegant regal demeanour that makes “Treats” such a standout track.

I assumed Sleigh Bells would be one of the better shows I would see so far this year, and I assumed correctly. The group takes the best of their attributes from the album and exaggerates them while taking potential shortcomings and turning them into assets. Miller proved himself to be not just someone subservient to Krauss, there to make noise- but an equally integral and compelling member of the team. In an era where eras last a scant few years, Krauss is this era's Karen O. Volatile and dangerous, but genuinely sincere all at once. I should probably just not go to any shows for a week or two- Sleigh Bells would be a tough act to follow.