Sleigh Bells “Texis” 2021. Torn Clean Records/Mom+Pop Music, on clear vinyl. Noisy experimental pop, Texis is duo Alexis Krauss’ and Derek Miller’s fifth album (the hype sticker on this record’s plastic sleeve weirdly says it’s their 6th record but literally every reputable website says it’s their 5th). I’ve been a Sleigh Bells fan since their first LP Treats (2010), blown away by their combination of a dense wall of hard electronica and killer beats that are overlaid with Krauss’ soaring and gorgeously angelic voice. I also really liked Reign of Terror (2012) and Bitter Rivals (2013) but while I enjoyed Jessica Rabbit OK I don’t think I’ve listened to it since 2016 when it came out. Texis, however, brings back some of the earlier excitement from their older releases. An Allmusic review describes their sound as “cheerleader metal” which is pretty perfect: sweet, poppy and infectious but also gritty, loud and dangerous. My top tracks from Texis are the lead track “Sweet 75,” “Locust Laced” (about which an NME review describes as “a crazed mash of go-go pop, torture-porn thrash metal and dubstep”), “Tennessee Tips” (“a barrage of ray gun synth-punk,” NME), “Red Flag Flies” and the album closer “Hummingbird Bomb” which is weird and excellent: light and fluttery with layers upon layers of intense/insane synth-rock explosions.