Case File #39: "Infinity Guitar"

Sleigh Bells
"Infinity Guitars"
Treats
(2010)




The need to know: Sleigh Bells make dance music with a metal soul.  The combined effort of ex-Poison the Well guitarist Derek Miller and one-time girl grouper Alexis Krauss is made to be played loud and often, mimicking blown-out speakers even within its noise-pop sound. Their debut, Treats, is one of the years best reviewed albums (Don't believe me? Believe Metacritic.) and posits Sleigh Bells as one of few bands going that can claim true uniqueness. In short, they own.

Why it's worthy:  "Infinity Guitars" will punch you in the mouth, and, damnit, you'll love it. Strong from the get-go, like most of the album, it's a relentless throttling of guitars and awesomeness that still maintains a pop sensibility through all that noise. Fun and feisty, it only goes to show how much everybody else is slackin'.

Quotable lyric:  "Deaf chords/ Dead ends"

Where you've heard it: The track "Meds and Feds" off of M.I.A.'s latest disc Maya features elements of Slegh Bells title track "Treats". "Meds and Feds" was co-written by M.I.A. with Derek Miller, and Sleigh Bells were the first band signed to her boutique label, N.E.E.T.


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Case File #38: "Trick For Treat"

Neon Neon
"Trick For Treat"
Stainless Style
(2008)




The need to know: An album based on the life and times of John Delorean (you know, the guy behind that crazy lookin' car from Back to the Future) shouldn't work. It shouldn't really even come up for consideration. But this album's mixture of 80s worship wrapped up in modern day criticisms make it an album that's not just fun, but surprisingly relevant. And that can only be due to the fellows in charge: Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys and DJ/electronic artist Boom Bip. A one-off collaboration, it nevertheless earned the band a nomination for the 2008 Mercury Music Prize, an annual award honoring the best album from the UK.

Why it's worthy: On an album that meanders through retro dream pop, nostalgic new wave and hard hip hop, "Trick For Treat" is the track that pulls it all together. Not as biographical as "Luxury Pool", a loose take on Delorean's life story, "Trick For Treat" is nevertheless laden with white powdery references and lifestyle excesses courtesy of guest spots by singer Har Mar Superstar and rap group Spank Rock.

Quotable lyric: "Got me dreaming like a Michigan boy/ In Hollywood/ Got me doing all I can"

Where you've heard it: The video for Neon Neon's "I Told Her on Alderaan" ends with the chorus from "Trick for Treat", complete with a cameo from Har Mar Superstar.

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Case File #38: "Wasted Daylight"

Stars
"Wasted Daylight"  
The Five Ghosts
(2010)




The need to know: Relying on boy-girl vocals, courtesy of Torquil Campbell and Amy Milan, and an impeccable pop sensibility, Stars have made a name for themselves since their sophomore release, Set Yourself on Fire made waves back in 2004. Six years and two albums later, the band has added a danceable flourish to their delicious pop sound. Consider their Soft Revolution complete. 

Why it's worthy: "Wasted Daylight" is an escapist's dream. Amy Milan's ode to spending the day in bed, the tune is equal parts dreamy pop and danceable energy. More likely to get you going than to lull you back to bed, it's a consolation prize for the days you can't afford to snuggle up, turn off your phone and ignore the world around you.

Quotable lyric:  "Telephone rings/ But we'll just let it sing/ Hide out 'till tomorrow/ I crawl into your shadow"

Where you've [seen] it:  In addition to his music career, Campbell has also tried his hand at acting, appearing in episodes of Sex And The City and Law & Order back in 2000, the same year that Stars was formed.

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Case File #37: "Coax Me"

Sloan
"Coax Me"  
A Sides Win: Singles 1992-2005
(2005)



 
The need to know:  A Canadian institution that never quite found much success in the states, Sloan made some of the best power pop to come out of that country in the 90s. Although critically adored, their first attempt at United States domination found the band feuding with Geffen records and the label refusing to promote their second album, Twice Removed, in 1994. The band found much love and acclaim in their native Canada, however, releasing no less than five albums between 1996 and 2001. Still going strong, Sloan's most recent album, the again well-received Parallel Play, was released in 2008.

Why it's worthy: Orginally appearing on Twice Removed, "Coax Me" is largely thought to be based on the death of Kurt Cobain and his relationship with Courtney Love, as well as the band's struggles with Geffen at that time. A low-key, catchy tune, the Chris Murphy-penned song is largely dominated by the clever wordplay that made the group's earlier songs, like "Underwhelmed", so loveable. But it also comes across as an underhanded Fuck You. Murphy may be singing "Coax Me" but it sounds a lot like "Bring it."

Quotable lyric:  "It's not the band I hate/ It's their fans"

Where you've heard it:  Sloan contributed five songs to the soundtrack for Sophia Coppola's 1999 film, The Virgin Suicides.

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Case File #36: "California"

Copeland
"California"  
Beneath Medicine Tree
(2003)




The need to know:  Formed in Lakeland, Florida in 2001, Copeland found some success as an indie rock band throughout the early aughts, touring frequently and releasing their first two full-length records via small time indie label The Militia Group. In 2006, as record labels scrambled to find the next Fall Out Boy, Copeland announced that they had been signed to the majors with a slot on Columbia's roster, but that relationship proved to be short lived. After losing bassist and founding member James Likeness in 2007, the band released a b-sides compilation and their final album, You Are My Sunshine, in 2008 via Tooth & Nail, before calling it quits in 2010.

Why it's worthy: "California" is the story of boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, girl moves as far away as one can possibly go and not leave the continental United States. Sure, the story is about as emo as you can get, but this song is hardly typcial of the genre. Far from being Fall Out Boy or Get Up Kids clones, Copeland's debut, which was primarily inspired by singer Aaron Marsh's girlfriend's battle with cancer, was filled to the brim with beautiful power pop that nudged sweetness about as far as it could go without turning saccharine. "California" is no exception. Perhaps the band's best and most loved song, what makes it truly obsess-worthy isn't the lyrical honesty, or Marsh's lithesome vocals: It's the guitar solo that closes out the song. For the final two minutes, the band explodes into a burst of incendiary guitar passion that failed to be matched on any of the group's subsequent albums (or songs).

Quotable lyric: "I miss the way you sing low/ So I can't hear your voice over the radio in my car"

Where you've heard it:  Copeland found a bit of notoriety, albeit brief, when they hijacked Fall Out Boy's viral marketing scheme for their album Folie à Deux in 2008, leading to many angry FOB fans...and not much else.

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