a thread to listen to Sleigh Bells' "Ring Ring" and think about how it's the greatest song of the year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q77Zu75JtY

:(

:'(

what song does this sample, i know it's famous but i have a mental block

"Can You Get to That" by Funkadelic. This sample is like half the song!

Is there something wrong with the Youtube, or is the song supposed to sound like that? The sample sounds distorted and awful.

Also, with a name like Sleigh Bells I was expecting a Christmas song, so I was disappointed to hear a run-of-the-mill indie pop tune.

And what's up with the scarves, are they supposed to be "ironic" gangstas or something?

Is anyone else hearing a little Aaliyah in the vocals during parts of the song?

Is there something wrong with the Youtube, or is the song supposed to sound like that?

That's their thing (Sleigh Bells), because every band has to have a thing now.

What, their thing is crappy sound quality?

their thing is all levels in the red.

dude said they are re-recording, that he still wants it to sound "blown out" (good idea imo) but wants the vocals to be more hi-fi (good idea imo) - i think this is more of an instance of a band w/ no money than one with a stifling art pretense

I understand what lo-fi is, but that's not even lo-fi, it just sounds like something's wrong with my speakers. How can anyone think it's good?

Makes me sad when people make lesser songs from classics.
(see Atlas Sound+Panda Bear)

oh these wacky hipsters.

not like I'm gonna look it up but I would swear Tuomas was on old Loudness War threads going "I don't understand the problem, everything sounds fine"

then these guys brickwall a song in an on-purpose way and it's like "how could anyone listen to this"

not that that would be, like, inconsistent or hypocritical or anything, just funny

(and not that other people's less-notable brickwalling isn't "on purpose" either)

lose the bandanas

not like I'm gonna look it up but I would swear Tuomas was on old Loudness War threads going "I don't understand the problem, everything sounds fine"

You would be wrong here, I don't think I've ever participated to those threads. I've no particular stance in the loudness wars, I don't think compression (or whatever you call it) always sounds worse, but whatever it is these people are doing (what does "brickwall" mean?) just hurts my ears.

dont like this band or any of their songs. find the aesthetic 'angle' of it sounding like shit to be one-note. i think this kind of music is gonna age badly just bcuz of listener fatigue from the compression

seriously, the kinds of gimmicks it takes to get 'recognition' sometimes just make me o_O

they're no eat skull that's for sure

this is awful. what do you see in it tape?

Not feeling it. See what they're trying to do but not feeling it.

^Yeah that pretty much. Also fuck indie kids in hats like that. Gr80 probably could pull off said hat. But this guy doesn't get to ride.

i liked one song i heard but i imagine a whole album of it would be tiring

fyi the song i liked was NOT the terrible one in the above youtube

the ting tings that it is okay to like

Saying that 'X' song is the greatest song of the year is only a tasteless and generic attempt to provoke other people to listen to whatever you have to offer.

Now, Tape, you only left us with a very inciting thread title and a youtube video which actually makes the shit sound of Sleigh Bells worse but no explanation whatsoever why you would think this song deserves any degree of attention.

he still wants it to sound "blown out" (good idea imo)

That SALEM band does this much better, I think - it almost makes you feel nauseous when the kick drum hits. (See: "Redlights")

I haven't heard it yet, but I saw this, they have SFJ's #1 album of the year so far.:

http://www.sashafrerejones.com/2008/12/best_of_2009.html
Sasha Frere-Jones BEST OF 2009

ALBUMS
1. Sleigh Bells

oh sh!t sleigh bells is blowing up. Caramanica wrote them up in the today's times too

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/arts/music/16bells.html?ref=arts

jesus

it's vampire weekend all over again

so let me get this straight... they mix pop hooks... with lo fidelity production???????

To be fair, that NYTimes piece is not exactly complementary. The tone is "it's bafflingly interesting why this particular band would be momentarily alight."

As for "Ring Ring," I thought it was pleasant and I'd dance to it at a party. Can't imagine thinking hard about it.

OK, just listened to "Can You Get To That" and it seems the part of "Ring Ring" I like is, um, that part. So I now think of "Ring Ring" as a pretty good cover/rendition/damage of the Funkadelic song.

The shitty sound doesn't bother me but I listen to a lot of music in the cassette player in my car.

good taste at least

fuck this bullshit

so let me get this straight... they mix pop hooks... with lo fidelity production???????
― sackful of hollow (Curt1s Stephens), Monday, November 16, 2009 6:15 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

as much as I'm enjoy sleigh bells' four song repertoire, i had to laugh at this

it's funny that the guy was in poison the well

I've listened to a couple of their tracks now. The distortion gets on my wick a little, but I'm still undecided. They could go either way for me.

SB live where at least the vocals aren't (too) wazzed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O--uJVyD07I

LOVE the compression/distortion of the loop on Ring Ring, but agree that the vocals (& boom) oughtta be left clean. Like it a lot, but it's not blowing me away - not yet anyway. At least half the appeal is the loop itself. Song kinda misrerepresents them, tho, cuz the rest of their stuff is much less dependent on borrowed hooks. "Crown On the Ground" on their myspace is at least equally catchy (massive, imo) and more "theirs".

Plus, okay, the more I listen to this, the more I like it. And I wanna listen more. Good stuff.

But I gotta take issue w/ the justification, always offered in defense of stuff that sounds like this, that the fuzz is a product of limited means. Nah. These days a clean recording isn't any more expensive than a fuzzy/hissy one. Especially wr2 "blown out" sounds like this. It's an aesthetic choice, 100% intentional - even if it isn't fully realized.

Will very likely listen to Crown On the Ground for the rest of the day.

Crown On the Ground now displaced by fake T-Pain doing Angel Witch.

Liking "Crown on the Ground," but again, in this "I think it would be fun to hear this at a party" kind of way; can't imagine listening to it _on purpose_.

Also I don't like the one unadorned vocal note at the end.

And I wish it built more instead of just starting loud and scratchy and staying that way.

But all this makes it sound like I didn't like it when actually I did!

Listening to "Ring Ring" for the second time now. And I have to concede it sounds agreeable and familiar now.

holy crap, i'm listening to it again

The distortion makes it sound inept, whatever is going on underneath. Who else checked checked gain levels through the audio chain from youtube to speakers to see what was malfunctioning?

if this is inept I don't wanna be ept

ept is highly overrated

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z8ppcFGPlY

I dont know, I really really dig this song. I think they have a lot of potential. Especially now that M.I.A. is getting involved, it could make things interesting

These guys are getting a buttload of hype right now. And doggone it, I like 'em!

man this shit is just awful

Outside of "Ring Ring" I haven't heard anything too interesting. Even "Ring Ring" sounds like someone putting the thought process of "Stillness is the Move + MIA + ???? = Indie success!" to record.

Now, Tape, you only left us with a very inciting thread title and a youtube video which actually makes the shit sound of Sleigh Bells worse but no explanation whatsoever why you would think this song deserves any degree of attention.

― feisty, Spanish, girl (Moka), Monday, 16 November 2009 09:54 (4 months ago) Permalink

sorry, i created this thread and then someone hurt my feelings on another thread so i got all sad/angry and retired for like 1.5 months

a. I've long loved terribly recorded stuff, but i've never been able to articulate why. surely some other ilxor can explain lo-fi's attraction? maybe it's a nostalgia thing? (in addition to warm, fuzzy memories of blown out mixtapes, all of my old music was recorded and released on cassette tapes) I guess I connect bad recordings to bands playing in basements, and I find that image really beautiful and charming? And it's especially interesting when the band is making pop music, because pop music is usually super clean-sounding? In any case, I totally disagree with everyone calling it a lame gimmick.
b. that sample is killer, duh! You could listen to that guitar forever and never get sick of it. It's classic like, yes, the Paper Planes sample. I don't think many people are arguing against that sample, so onto the next point...
c. that girl's voice! i mean, she doesn't have a "big" voice, but she doesn't need it. like Cassie, there's something totally mesmerizing (and, if she wants, kind of sinister) about it, i'm sure she could nail some R Leslie beats. Clearly she's meant to be singing R&B, and based on all the released Sleigh Bells stuff, she seems to know this.
d. try singing it acapella. sample or not, it's a beautiful and hypnotic melody (best part of the song is actually when the sample drops out)
e. fingersnaps and bass
f. i'm pretty sure the lyrics are great, but tbh i can't understand everything. but i love the repetition (ring ring, click click, have a heart, have a heart, etc.) and the lines i can make out (wonder what your boyfriend thinks about your braces, ring ring--call 'em up, tell 'em about the new trends)
g. it's one of the most addictive songs i've heard in the past couple of years

Times New Viking + M.I.A.

A kinder, gentler Atari Teenage Riot.

singer sounds like Christina Martinez esp on "Infinity Guitars"

The Ting Tings are the elephant in the room

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLRnmQ-4Yp0