Exclusive Stream: School of Seven Bells, "Face to Face on High Places"
MP3
School of Seven Bells / Photo by Elle Muliarchyk
While his former bandmates -- and brother Brandon Curtis -- in the Secret Machines prep their "gritty, dirty rock album" for release, guitar whiz Benjamin Curtis, who departed the Machines in early 2007, is entering dream-pop territory with his new project, School of Seven Bells. And though aspects of his former act's digital gloss and psychedelic effects remain, "Face to Face on High Places," a gorgeous gem off the band's debut LP, Alpinisms (out Oct. 28), ditches any hint of brash rock and shoots School of Seven Bells straight into the clouds.
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With twins Alejandra and Claudia Deheza (formerly of On! Air! Library!) on vocals, "Face to Face on High Places" floats with electronic, laptop-born flourishes, and peaks with echoing, sliding guitar riffs -- Curtis' specialty. With one foot planted in the past, one in the future, and a record collection steeped in Cocteau Twins LPs, Curtis gracefully validates his departure from the Machines.
Now Hear This: School of Seven Bells, "Face to Face on High Places"
