School of Seven Bells
School of Seven Bells take their magic seriously. Symbols, myths, mantras—in the hands of vocalist Alejandra Deheza and guitarist/producer Benjamin Curtis (formerly of On Library! and Secret Machines, respectively), these mystical practices become achingly human, methods of making sense of an emotionally complex world.
School of Seven Bells’ sophomore album Disconnect from Desire—the follow-up to the Brooklyn trio’s breakthrough debut Alpinisms—takes its title from one of Brian Eno’s oblique stratagems; its’ cryptic album image is a “sigil,” a mystical figure containing the energy and intent of the album entire. The real magic of Disconnect from Desire, though, lives in its music: ten tracks of soaring, visionary dream-pop from a band working at the height of its powers.
On Disconnect from Desire, School of Seven Bells focus the layered electronic textures and dense lyricism of Alpinisms to a razor’s point, distilling the music to its essence as guitars ring, beats crunch, and Deheza’s voice intertwines with new, right-in-your-ears clarity. Disconnect from Desire is a complete work—an old-fashioned album from forward-thinking minds, as thematically airtight as it is mind-bendingly gorgeous. In the end, the “sigil” on the cover of Disconnect from Desire is the perfect analog to the music: strange yet familiar, exquisitely rendered, breathtaking to behold.
Tickets are no longer available for online purchase, but are available at the box office, north of Chicago on Noble.
