PUNKCAST#1130
School Of Seven Bells
Tonic NYC
Mar 31 2007
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with thanks to Tonic

'Goodbye Tonic.'

In its auspicious history the NYC experimental music mainstay Tonic has seen the debuts of many groups that have gone on to world fame. This night, two weeks before the suddenly announced closing of the venue, was probably the last such occasion. Making it's first appearance anywhere was School of Seven Bells, a new band formed by Benjamin Curtis of Secret Machines, from whom he'd announced his departure earlier in the month, much to the surprise of many. While a major feature of the new outfit are the twin vocals of Alejandra and Claudia Deheza of On! Air! Library! - live it turned out bass/electronics wizz James Elliott and drummer Joe Stickney were just as impressive. Benjamin is known for his wide echoey guitar sound which was much in evidence. It's hard to describe the overall sound, it's a kind of monster hypnotic rush, while the vocal harmonies have a distinctly medieval tint. I remember thinking, as the sound woofed up through Tonic's famously leaky roof to the newly built garish condo building next door, that it sounded like the soundtrack to some kind of intense wiccan ritual, ominous yet celebratory. Here is the final song of the set, the lengthy 'Sempiternal'.


Clicking the images will take you to the clips on YouTube. The h.264's are iPod-ready. There is a DVD.


capture captain: joly
date posted: 5/10/06

myspace School Of Seven Bells

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