Treats (album)

Treats is the debut studio album by American noise pop duo Sleigh Bells, released on May 24, 2010 by Mom+Pop and N.E.E.T. Recordings.

Treats
Studio album by
Sleigh Bells
ReleasedMay 24, 2010 (2010-05-24)
StudioTreefort Studios
(Brooklyn, New York City)
Genre
Length32:06
Label
ProducerDerek Miller
Sleigh Bells chronology
Sleigh Bells
(2009)		 Treats
(2010)		 Reign of Terror
(2012)
Singles from Treats
  1. "Tell 'Em"
    Released: April 28, 2010
  2. "Infinity Guitars"
    Released: November 14, 2010
  3. "Riot Rhythm"
    Released: February 14, 2011

Recording

Derek E. Miller's rough demos gained the attention of M.I.A. and Spike Jonze. Miller stated that the ensuing positive feedback and his "dream collaboration" working with M.I.A. in her studio on the album Maya (2010) gave him the confidence to do the Treats record without opting for a co-producer.[2] Miller worked with M.I.A. on the track "Meds and Feds" in 2009, following which she signed the group to her label N.E.E.T. Recordings.[3] Vocalist Alexis Krauss said of M.I.A.: "It's really exciting to have her in our court and be able to work with her. At this point it's more about being part of a creative community and the day-to-day running of the business is pretty much Mom + Pop's job. It's the fact that she had interest in us literally before anyone else cared at all which definitely boosted our confidence."[3]

Krauss spoke of her enjoyment at the collaborative nature of the album making process with Miller, telling Drowned in Sound, "When we got into the studio we began collaborating more. There's a few tracks on the album—'Tell Em', 'Riot Rhythms', 'Tell the Heart' [sic]—which definitely became more collaborative in terms of me doing more work on melodies, harmonies and we plan on further explorations of this in the future."[3] She also spoke of the different vocal styles she employed to convey the meanings of each song: "On a song like 'Infinity Guitars', obviously the delivery is going to be much more aggressive and menacing while a song like 'Rill Rill', you are occupying a much different state of mind when you're delivering those vocals."[3] The album was recorded at Treefort Studios in Brooklyn.[4]

Singles

The lead single from Treats, "Tell 'Em", was released as a free download on April 28, 2010 via the duo's official website.[5] "Infinity Guitars" was released on November 14, 2010 as the second single from the album.[6] Rolling Stone placed the track at number 21 on their list of the 50 Best Songs of 2010.[7] The music video for "Infinity Guitars" premiered on NME's website on September 19, 2010.[8] "Riot Rhythm" was released on February 14, 2011 as the album's third and final single.[9]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10[10]
Metacritic84/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
The A.V. ClubA−[13]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[14]
The Guardian[15]
Los Angeles Times[16]
MSN Music (Expert Witness)A−[17]
NME8/10[18]
Pitchfork8.7/10[19]
Rolling Stone[20]
Spin8/10[21]

Treats received general acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 84, based on 35 reviews.[11] Paste gave the album 9.3/10 or a "phenomenal" rating, and said that it is "a supremely raw and visceral pop masterwork".[22] Pitchfork writer Mark Richardson gave the album 8.7/10, earning it a "Best New Music" accolade and stating that it sounds "remarkably fresh and unlike anything else right now".[19] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly awarded Treats an A−, describing the sound as "genre-swerving".[14] Rolling Stone gave it three-and-a-half stars with reviewer Jon Dolan citing it as "noise that's friendly and cute, primitivism that masks pop smarts and respect for tradition".[20]

Accolades
Publication Rank List
Drowned in Sound 40 Albums of the Year 2010[23]
Entertainment Weekly 6 10 Best Albums of 2010[24]
Exclaim! 16 Pop & Rock: Year in Review 2010[25]
NME 40 75 Best Albums of 2010[26]
Paste 6 The 50 Best Albums of 2010[27]
Pitchfork 16 The Top 50 Albums of 2010[28]
PopMatters 11 The 70 Best Albums of 2010[29]
Slant Magazine 4 The 25 Best Albums of 2010[30]
Spin 29 The 40 Best Albums of 2010[31]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sleigh Bells.

No.TitleLength
1."Tell 'Em"2:56
2."Kids"2:46
3."Riot Rhythm"2:37
4."Infinity Guitars"2:32
5."Run the Heart"2:41
6."Rachel"2:19
7."Rill Rill"3:50
8."Crown on the Ground"3:49
9."Straight A's"1:32
10."A/B Machines"3:35
11."Treats"3:29
Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Treats.[32]

Sleigh Bells
  • Derek Miller – instruments, artwork, production
  • Alexis Krauss – vocals
Additional personnel

Charts

As of 2013 it has sold 180,000 copies in United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.[41]

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United Kingdom May 24, 2010 Digital download Mom + Pop [42]
United States June 1, 2010
  • CD
  • digital download
[43][44]
Germany June 4, 2010 Digital download Mom + Pop [45]
Australia June 18, 2010
  • CD
  • digital download
 Liberator [46][47]
United Kingdom June 21, 2010 CD Mom + Pop [48]
Germany June 22, 2010 LP Sony [49]
United Kingdom June 28, 2010 Mom + Pop [50]
Japan October 13, 2010 CD Sony [51]
Germany October 15, 2010 [52]
United States April 26, 2011 LP
  • Mom + Pop
  • N.E.E.T.
 [53]

References
  1. TMT
  2. Lindsay, Cam (June 7, 2010). "Sleigh Bells Talk Spike Jonze, M.I.A. and Being Years Ahead of Their Dreams". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  3. Barrett, Brad (September 1, 2010). "DiS Meets Sleigh Bells". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  4. Vozick-Levinson, Simon (September 12, 2013). "Inside Sleigh Bells' Lean, Mean New Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  5. Zimmerman, Edith (April 28, 2010). "Download a Free New Sleigh Bells Track, 'Tell 'Em'". Vulture. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  6. "Infinity Guitars: Sleigh Bells: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  7. "50 Best Songs of 2010". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. December 14, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
  8. "Sleigh Bells – 'Infinity Guitars' Video Exclusive". NME. Time Inc. UK. September 19, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  9. "Riot Rhythm: Sleigh Bells: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  10. "Treats by Sleigh Bells reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  11. "Reviews for Treats by Sleigh Bells". Metacritic. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  12. Phares, Heather. "Treats – Sleigh Bells". AllMusic. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  13. Cole, Matthew (June 1, 2010). "Sleigh Bells: Treats". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  14. Greenblatt, Leah (May 28, 2010). "Treats". Entertainment Weekly (1104): 70. Archived from the original on December 19, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  15. Cragg, Michael (August 5, 2010). "Sleigh Bells: Treats". The Guardian. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  16. Brown, August (May 25, 2010). "Album review: Sleigh Bells' 'Treats'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  17. Christgau, Robert (December 21, 2010). "Care Bears on Fire/Sleigh Bells". MSN Music. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  18. Wright, Lisa (July 11, 2010). "Album review: Sleigh Bells – 'Treats' (Mom + Pop Music/NEET)". NME. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  19. Richardson, Mark (May 14, 2010). "Sleigh Bells: Treats". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  20. Dolan, Jon (June 10, 2010). "Treats". Rolling Stone (1106): 74. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  21. Schultz, Christopher (June 1, 2010). "Sleigh Bells, 'Treats' (N.E.E.T/Mom + Pop)". Spin. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  22. Saba, Michael (May 11, 2010). "Sleigh Bells: Treats". Paste. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  23. Adams, Sean (December 2, 2010). "Drowned in Sound's albums of the year 2010: 50–11". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  24. Greenblatt, Leah (December 21, 2010). "10 Best Albums of 2010". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  25. "Pop & Rock: Year in Review 2010". Exclaim!. November 25, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  26. "75 best albums of 2010". NME. Time Inc. UK. November 22, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  27. Jackson, Josh (December 1, 2010). "The 50 Best Albums of 2010". Paste. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  28. "The Top 50 Albums of 2010". Pitchfork. December 16, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  29. "The 70 Best Albums of 2010". PopMatters. December 23, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  30. "The 25 Best Albums of 2010". Slant Magazine. December 14, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  31. "The 40 Best Albums of 2010". Spin. December 6, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  32. Treats (CD liner notes). Sleigh Bells. Mom + Pop Music. 2010. MP016.CS1 maint: others (link)
  33. "ARIA Top 100 Albums – Week Commencing 5th July 2010" (PDF). ARIA Charts. Pandora Archive. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  34. Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK – Weekly Updates Sales 2011". Zobbel. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  35. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. January 23–29, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  36. "Sleigh Bells – Chart history: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  37. "Sleigh Bells – Chart history: Alternative Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  38. "Sleigh Bells – Chart history: Independent Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  39. "Sleigh Bells – Chart history: Top Rock Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  40. "Year End Charts – Independent Albums". Billboard.biz. Prometheus Global Media. 2010. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  41. https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5740579/sleigh-bells-achieve-harmony-on-bitter-rivals
  42. "Treats: Sleigh Bells: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  43. "Sleigh Bells: Treats". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  44. "Treats: Sleigh Bells: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  45. "Treats: Sleigh Bells: MP3-Downloads" (in German). Amazon.de. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  46. "Treats". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  47. "Treats by Sleigh Bells". iTunes Store (AU). Apple. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  48. "Treats by Sleigh Bells". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  49. "Treats [Vinyl LP]" (in German). Amazon.de. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  50. "Treats [VINYL] by Sleigh Bells". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  51. トリーツ [Treats] (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  52. "Treats" (in German). Amazon.de. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  53. "Sleigh Bells: Treats (Vinyl)". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
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