In April of 2010 I had the pleasure of being present at the first Toronto performance by Brooklyn rock/electronic duo Sleigh Bells. Prior to their album release Sleigh Bells presence was limited to a rough demo circulating online featuring very lo-fi production with an extremely gated sound. I had wondered the degree of intent with this effect, as the recording sounded as though it just could not contain the music, a cool effect but bordering on, well shit.
Sleigh bells consists of Derek Miller, former guitarist from hardcore band Poison the Well and pop vocalist Alexis Krauss. The performance consisted of Krauss yelling over chopped up punk, rock and electro beats while Miller played as loud as fucking possible. It got loud.I had only hoped that this energy and pure volume could be translated back to a recorded medium and just months later the issues I had with the demo were reconciled with the release of the debut lp Treats. Loud, gated, but listenable. Since the release of Treats Sleigh Bells have garnered heaps of underground and mainstream exposure and have gone from playing the 200-300 cap club circuit to 1000+ venues. Sleigh Bells plays loud, no matter what your musical pedigree is you cannot dismiss their raw energy. Listen
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Following my last post regarding avante-guarde guitar composer (or asshole depending on your opinion), Glen Branca I have taken it upon myself to provide some insight on some more influential work that has ceased to break through to mainstream ears. Todays cut from the deepend is entitled "Ghost Rider" coming from the 1977 album "Suicide" from the band of the same name.
Listening to Suicide in 2011 there are numerous labels that one may feel compelled to use in playing the genre game (we are in fact creatures of taxonomy), thus tags such as electro, new wave, no wave, industrial, dancepunk, sythpunk and the like get tossed around though none of them really fit (comprehensively). And the truth is that while Suicide could arguably stand as a relevant example of these contemporary forms among others, at the time of this album's conception they were really operating in uncharted waters and there wasn't much that you could even call it. Suicide opted for "Punk."
In fact Suicide was the first band to use the label punk when describing their own sound, as can be seen in a November 1970 flyer using the phrase 'punk music.' Suicide took their name from an issue of the Marvel comic Ghost Rider entitled Satan Suicide (the comic also providing inspiration for today's track). Drawing inspirartion from Iggy and the Stooges, Initially performing in Greenwich Village's Mercer Arts Center (and later at CBGB) Suicide's live presence was highly confrontational... Best exemplified in "23 Minutes Over Brussels" a live recording of a Suicide show that turned into a full scale riot.
"Ghost Rider" itself clocks in at just over 2 and a half minutes and is characterized by the hypnotic repetitive bass sample and thick electronic drone of Martin Rev coupled with the eerie, distant quivering vocals of Alan Vega. The outcome is a trance enducing, comic-book theme -lose the camp and up the grit. Its sound is nervous, pulsing, both tribal and industrial and creepy as hell.
While Suicide may not have the most commercially successful catalogue and their image & sound isn't so easily postured for mass consumption, they have still retained a cult following and as testament to their musical clairvoyance there has been a reknewed interest in the band works.
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