This band is a comer. No question. School of Seven Bells rose out of the ashes of Secret Machines' mercurial flame-out, as guitarist Ben Curtis got tired making of psych-rock and started making Norwegian-flavored, electro arena pop. The first thing that came to mind was, "this is the record The Knife meant to make three years ago." It's big and dark and, at times, really unsettling. But it's incredibly credible. In fact, subtract The Knife's "Heartbeats" (and I understand this is incredibly impossible), School of Seven Bells have a record that is vastly better than Silent Shout.
"Connjur" is the first single off Alpinisms and a perfect example of the dark electronic soundscapes that this band traffics. It's probably not the best song off the record ("Chain" is instantly more satisfying and "Wired For Light" is mas. sive.) but "Connjur" is enough to get you started. There's something almost tribal going on here; like a late-night, northern lights freak-out, where Bjork's catalogue is tirelessly remixed into reverb-heavy 125bpm dance-hits. Or like a downtown, drugged-out rain dance. It's all connected. So pray the Sun God doesn't come out tomorrow and it stays dark forever.
Listen :: School of Seven Bells - "Connjur"
1 comment:
I enjoyed the track, but 'Heartbeats' is from the Deep Cuts album not Silent Shout, which I contend was exactly the record the Knife intended it to be. That said, my interest in this full album is piqued and I'm willing to amend my position if necessary.
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