Sleigh Bells: The discordant Brooklyn dancepop duo Sleigh Bells. The band came together when songwriter and producer Derek Miller, a veteran of Florida hardcore warriors Poison the Well, hooked up with singer Alexis Krauss, who spent time in the teenpop group RubyBlue before becoming a teacher at a Bronx public school.

Sleigh Bells tracks like the BNM'ed "Crown on the Ground" have bits and pieces in common with Poison the Well's punishing growl and RubyBlue's sunburst chirp, but they occupy aesthetic ground miles removed from both. Miller pushes all the levels into the red, so the duo's fun synth rave-ups become way blurrier and more intense than you'd expect, while Krauss grounds everything with cool sass. It's quite a package.