Album Review: Sleigh Bells - Jessica Rabbit

On album number four, Sleigh Bells have embraced pop.

The most compelling evidence is I Can't Stand You Anymore, in which Alexis Krauss' divine vocals ride a raft of power chords and handclaps into a singalong chorus. But take that with a grain of salt. Opening track It's Just Us Now arrives with a reassuring, skittering burst of Derek Miller's trademark fuzz guitar: Sleigh Bells have evolved, but haven't abandoned the mix of heavy and heavenly we've come to expect.

And there's plenty of pleasure in Jessica Rabbit's less radio-friendly moments. Loyal For sees Krauss purring over a sludge of keyboards. Titles like Unlimited Dark Paths and I Know Not To Count On You suggest songwriter Miller has embraced his inner emo, and the anger and angst of his lyrics find perfect expression in Krauss' versatile voice. She roars in hard rocker Throw Me Down The Stairs, while in Rule Number One she chants: "Mostly okay but I'm bleeding profusely / Mostly okay, but only on Tuesdays." (The "other six days" are a litany of furies.)

There's a freedom of form here, too, that refreshes without reinventing Sleigh Bells' sound. There are as many shifts in tone and tempo as your typical prog-rock epic, often within the space of a few fleeting minutes. No sooner have you settled into a particular groove before you're upended, without a firm idea of where you're going to land. It's disorientating and exhilarating.