On the verge: Sleigh Bells' brand of punk pop rings loud and clear

By Korina Lopez, USA TODAY

Opposites attract:�Singer Alexis Krauss was a fourth-grade teacher with a penchant for pop and Motown. Guitarist Derek Miller was a waiter in a hard-core punk band. When the Brooklyn-based duo joined forces in 2008, they created a sound that would grab the attention of M.I.A., Beyonc� and growing legions of fans. Their sound? Dirty, noisy fun.

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  By Aaron Richter

  Are you listening? Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells.

By Aaron Richter

Are you listening? Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells.

"Our music is confrontational and loud, but there's a sweetness with Alexis' voice," says Miller, 29. "From the friction between opposites comes something interesting. The Pixies? not that I'm comparing us to them ? they're the perfect example of exploring that friction. They're ferocious, but still pop." The band's debut album, Treats, has been gaining momentum since its May 2010 release, selling 120,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and reaching No. 39 on Billboard's album chart. Their new single, Rill Rill, was featured in an American Idol montage and Kids is the song used in commercials of MTV's controversial TV series, Skins.

Parental support:�Krauss grew up listening to Jackie Wilson and Etta James. Her father, a full-time musician, nurtured her love of music, encouraging her to set her teaching career aside to pursue music. "I was always drawn to pop singers like Cyndi Lauper, Madonna and the Motown legends. They were real showmen. You see a lot of performers, but you don't see many singers who can work an audience. To see Sam Cooke work a crowd is something very special," says Krauss, 25. "I hope we do that in our shows." Judging from the duo's much-lauded Virgin Mobile Fest show last year, Sleigh Bells is achieving just that.

Motherly love:�The duo met through, of all people, Krauss' mother. "I was on summer break and my mom and I were having dinner at this Brazilian restaurant in Williamsburg (a neighborhood in Brooklyn), and Derek was our waiter," Krauss says. "It turns out that he and my mom are from Florida, so they got to talking, and he said he was looking for a female singer. She volunteered me." A week later, Krauss and Miller started working together. "I wasn't doing music full time ? in fact, it was the last thing I was thinking about," she says. "So I'm glad my mom's a loudmouth."

Waiting tables while waiting for his break:�Miller looks back fondly at his waiter days. "I hate it when an artist says, once they have a buck, that they'll never go back to waiting tables. Waiting tables is a fine job, and any artist should be embarrassed to say they're above that," he says. "It's a weird lifestyle, but I'm a night owl anyway. I had fun waiting tables."

M.I.A. connection:�Before Sleigh Bells had even played a show, the two landed on M.I.A.'s radar. "Spike Jones played our music to M.I.A. on his iPhone. She messaged us on MySpace. It was very bold," says Krauss. "We were confounded. But she followed through. She flew to New York, asked Derek to produce a track on her album, said she could help our career. That experience gave Derek the confidence to produce Treats." Yet that connection almost never happened. "M.I.A. initially emailed the wrong Derek Miller," Krauss says with a laugh. "Luckily, this kid sent that message to Derek."

Star backing:�The duo found themselves another unlikely fan in Beyonc�. In his blog, indie rock DJ Diplo revealed that he and Miller hit the recording studio for a collaboration on the superstar's upcoming album. "I can't really talk about that," Miller says. "But as far as collaborations go, there's no one I'd rather work with than Alexis."

Dark days ahead:�While Treats is bursting with flavorful dance punk and textural guitar riffs, Sleigh Bells has decided to explore more serious territory on its second album. "On Treats, we let the rhythm do all the heavy lifting. This one is going to be different from that happy-go-lucky, dance-with-abandon pop," says Krauss. "It's more guitar-based, the arrangements are more thought out." For Miller, who does the bulk of the writing, the new songs touch on painful past experiences. "A lot of tragic things have happened that I'm not ready to talk about yet," he says, declining to elaborate. "A lot of stuff has gone down, and I need a minute to digest it all."

Coming up:�The band kicks off its tour with a performance at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., this weekend, after which Sleigh Bells hits the road through June with CSS and Neon Indian. "On June 25, we're going to put Treats to rest, get back in the studio," Krauss says. "We hope to release it in 2012."

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