2 posts tagged “school of seven bells”

There are some rock shows where you close your eyes to avoid seeing the train wreck happening in front of you, diverting your attention from an artist clearly not ready for the stage they are on. And then there are shows, like last evening’s Fujiya & Miyagi/School Of Seven Bells show at the extremely sold out 7th Street Entry, where you close your eyes and let the sound wash over you and take you somewhere else entirely. Especially with the stunning identical twins Alejandra and Claudia Dehez on stage, School Of Seven Bells were best experienced (at least in my opinion) with eyes closed, without their beauty distracting from the music in any way. And both bands didn’t really get up to much on stage, so I let the music do most of the work for me, transporting me somewhere besides the extremely crowded Entry.

School Of Seven Bells opened with “Iamundernodisguise,” the first track on their excellent debut full-length Alpinisms, and right from the get-go, it was clear that guitarist Benjamin Curtis was working way too hard on his various effects pedals and knobs without having the sound in the room reflect his efforts. His sounds were buried too deep in the mix, and the vocal harmonies of the Dehez sisters, while pleasant enough, overwhelmed their sound and made a lot of their songs sound similar as a result. Perhaps it’s a conscious effort by Ben to not dominate their ethereal sound with his guitar work, because their mix was the same when I saw them open for M83 at the Triple Rock a couple months ago. But, in my opinion, their music suffers a bit under that arrangement, for he’s way too talented to be relegated to merely a bit player in the group, and their album is filled with varied and interesting sounds that he creates which don’t come across nearly as clear when performed live.

That’s not to say that the show wasn’t without it’s highlights, for when the band hit their stride, the music is quite intoxicating. “Wired For Light,” “My Cabal” and “Connjur” were all enchanting sonic experiments that worked well in the live setting, and filled the club with the band’s airy sound. On record, the band’s sound is much more soaring and exalted, but those heights aren’t quite reached by their live set. Their songs are enjoyable, but ultimately don’t really go anywhere all that interesting in the end. I think with more of an impact from Ben, their live sound could match the elegant soundscapes found on their record, but for the time being, their live show suffers from a lack of his guitar and effects in the mix.

Surprisingly, the club cleared out ever so slightly for headliners Fujiya & Miyagi, and those that left missed out on a group that has clearly found their sound and polished it to electronic perfection. The band was tight and balanced, and their sound was superb. During the middle of the Brighton band’s second song, I was wondering why there was even a drum kit set up for the evening, for SVIIB didn’t employ a drummer and up until that point Fujiya & Miyagi weren’t either (they’ve been a three-piece with a drum machine prior to this tour). But new member Lee Adams came out from behind the curtain to sit behind the kit, and helped bring “Ankle Injuries” to a propulsive close. He brought a more natural, organic sound to their music, and in my mind is a welcome addition to the group’s hypnotic live show. Frontman David Best was affable and accomplished all evening, as his intricate guitar work guided the songs, and the “rhythm section” of Steve Lewis and Matt Hainsby gave the songs their depth and atmospheric dimensions.

Touring behind their splendid new record Lightbulbs, their set leaned heavily on their new material as well as songs from 2007’s Transparent Things. Standouts included “Cassettesingle,” “Pussyfooting” and “In One Ear.” Their songs are tightly wound constructions that have a catchy underlying beat that always seems to get heads nodding. But there is quite a bit of space to be found in their music as well, no matter how dense it may sound. And plenty of people in the crowd were free to get lost in that space throughout the show, even though there wasn’t much room available to dance in. Best’s lyrics are rather goofy at times, reminiscent of the often dead-pan delivery of Jermaine and Bret from Flight Of The Concords (especially on a track like “Pickpocket”). The real innovative aspect of the band is their funky, enthralling sound, which was mixed pristinely last night, with all the nuances of their music perfectly audible and crisp.

It was a show I spent a good majority of in my own head, with the music providing a spatial soundtrack to my thoughts as well as conveying me out of the crowded Entry into somewhere much more pleasant but rather hard to define. I think School Of Seven Bells have yet to reach the promise that is hinted at in their debut record, but touring with a taut and focused band like Fujiya & Miyagi will only help them to flesh out their live sound and add dimension to their music. Fujiya & Miyagi have really solidified their sound and nailed down their live show, and when it’s mixed right, as it was last night, their sound can take you to all corners of the globe with their varying influences and styles. Or, it can simply just make you dance, provided you have the room.

Please see my original review, and more of Jon's incredible photos at culturebully.com. Cheers!

Seeing a band twice while they are still touring the same record can be a dicey affair. Either the show can be so similar in sound and scope to the first concert that it can be frustrating to pay for essentially the same show twice, or, it can be so radically different from the original show that whatever made it special the first time was completely lost and replaced by something less stellar. Saturday nights sold-out M83 show at the Triple Rock actually suffered from a slight combination of the two scenarios, and while that in no way made the show unsatisfying, it wasn't altogether the compelling and captivating show that I saw from M83 at the same venue back in May.

The show was still a truly sonic experience (all M83 shows will be), with the sound at the Triple Rock crystal clear as always, but this time the music seemed to be a mere soundtrack to everyone's Saturday night, as opposed to the performance being the focal point of everyone in the club. The show featured a slightly different set list from the show in May, especially at the beginning, with three instrumental tracks (including an excellent 'Moon Child') kicking off the show. Anthony Gonzalez didn't even sing until the fourth song of the evening, 'Kim & Jessie,' that found the band (the same four piece ensemble that played back in May) extending the song quite a bit during the outro, with keyboardist Morgan Kibby adding background vocals that took the song in a spacier direction.

All the 'hits' from their excellent Saturdays=Youth record were represented, with 'We Own The Sky' being an early set highlight, 'Graveyard Girl,' and my favorite song of the night 'Skin Of The Night,' closed out the main set in a truly resounding manner, while 'Don't Save Us From The Flames,' was a highlight of the older material played during the night. And while all these tracks sounded amazing, it just seemed too similar a set to their last performance to be truly remarkable. The show was paced much better this time around (a sure sign that they've spent a lot of time on the road with this material), with fewer extended breaks between songs, and Anthony spent more time on keyboards, lessening the need for as much backing music as they had last time. And drummer Loic Maurin, who really drives the bands sound and keeps them locked in, was incredibly on point all evening. However, similarities between the two performances seemed to override the uniqueness of the event for me. 

The crowd was dancing a bit (gasp?!) and was generally much more festive than at their last show, perhaps owing to the Saturday night time slot, and that was certainly encouraging, because M83 makes music that should cause you to move something. But, while I was making my way around the incredibly packed Triple Rock, I realized that people perhaps weren't as captivated by the performance as they should have been, with their songs simply becoming background music to the many loud conversations taking place around the venue. But M83's songs are so atmospheric and spatial, and have so much room within the music, that one can certainly enjoy it without concentrating too hard.

The set closed with an extended and exuberant 'Couleurs,' the same way their set did in May, and while it was an exclamation point on a wonderful set, it was too indistinguishable to the end of their last show to make a lasting impression on me. I'm sure that people who didn't make the show in May must have thought this show was incredible, but for me, the similar set list took away from the distinctive nature of the evening and my overall enjoyment of the show. It was by no means the bands fault, they sounded fantastic and seemed very engaged by both their performance and their fans, I just need to give them some time to release new music before I see them again.

 

Openers School Of Seven Bells, featuring guitarist Ben Curtis (formerly of Secret Machines) and twin sisters Claudia and Alley Deheza (formerly of On!Air!Library!) on keyboards, guitar, and rhythm programming, played an entertaining, but all-too-brief set. They made it through about 6 or 7 songs from their excellent debut Alpinisms, in a set that unfortunately went just beyond the half hour mark. Their music was ambient and interesting, and was given a slightly sinister twist by Ben's excellent guitar work, and formed a good primer for when the band returns as headliners and has a longer set to work with. I talked to Ben after their set, and he thinks they will be back touring as headliners sometime in February. He was a genuinely nice guy, very affable, and quite proud of his new band (and why shouldn't he be-not only do they make great music, but they might just be the best looking band in history. The Deheza sisters are absolutely stunning.) But I digress. If you haven't managed to check out Alpinisms at this point, I highly recommend it, especially before School Of Seven Bells come back to Minneapolis in 2009.

Please check out the original review on CultureBully.com.