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School of Seven Bells with Dub Pixel and Phantogram at Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel, Washington DC

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 05:17 PM PDT

The story behind the name of the band School of Seven Bells goes something like this: in 2004, Benjamin Curtis and twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza were on tour in previous (now defunct?) bands. Alejandra Deheza saw a show on public television about a mythical pickpocket academy called the "School of Seven Bells", which supposedly operated on the premise that seven minds working together towards one goal could go on to do great things. Two years later, the band became known by the School of Seven Bells moniker and for their unique sound, mixing guitars, synths, and the sisters' harmonizing vocals and creating swirly masterpieces. They stopped by Washington's Rock 'n' Roll Hotel Sunday night.

I can only presume the first act "playing" was the local electronica act Dub Pixel, because the woman behind the laptop and the man in the sound booth with the guitar (or was it a bass? I really couldn't tell from a distance) never formally introduced themselves or the band itself. For about a half-hour, we were aurally and visually assaulted with a dramatic, cinematic soundscape, complete with a drony voiceover that sound like a whacked out psychologist. His intoning urged us to give ourselves over to the music and relax. I found this was impossible if you were truly paying attention to the video being shown on the stage-length screen, where freaky looking eyeballs, cutouts from silent movies, cities on fire, and the like flickered and morphed. As I looked around me, I couldn't tell if the crowd was actually mesmerized by what they saw and heard or if they were staring at the screen, unsure on how to react because the music was too mellow and not beat-heavy enough to dance to. When their presentation was over, the "group" got a respectable round of applause.

Next up was Phantogram, a duo from Saratoga Springs, New York. I had checked the band out earlier on MySpace, and based on the few songs of theirs I heard, I decided that they'd be a good fit as an opener for the School of Seven Bells. I was right. Keyboardist/synth player Sarah Barthel and guitarist Josh Carter are the first duo I've seen in a long time that perform like one complete unit, not two disparate ones. Both sing: Barthel contributes mostly angelic vocals – think Enya but harder-edged, as in the band's "When I'm Small" – whereas Carter's voice is more sultry and at times humorous, at one point telling Washington to dance and "bounce!" The two of them throw their whole bodies into their performance too. If you can get past the guitar bits of "Mouthful of Diamonds" that sound awfully similar to those found in Modest Mouse's "Float On", it's a well-crafted piece of electronic rock. In the currently crowded world of electronic music, I hope to hear songs by Barthel and Carter gracing a dance floor soon. Their debut album Eyelid Movies was released digitally in the UK earlier this month; one can hope for a stateside release soon.

And then it was time to hear the School of Seven Bells. The band performs under near to complete darkness, which must make Benjamin Curtis's job very difficult, given the large number of pedals and effects in front of his feet the man has for his guitar, as well as the Mac book he's got half-hidden in the back that no doubt holds secrets into the band's sound. The Deheza sisters can't be having it much easier, playing guitar and synths by feel and not by sight. The crowd swayed their bodies to the hypnotic rhythms and the Deheza sisters' harmonious vocals. For me, the set highlight was "iamundernodisguise", the song that introduced me to the band many moons ago, transporting me to a faraway, isolated Tibetan mountain peak, where the air is clear, the skies are blue, and all is well. I can report that their live performance set me off on a similar journey.

In addition to playing their well-known songs "Half Asleep" and "My Cabal" from their 2008 debut album Alpinisms, they also treated us to some new songs; I'm hoping we will get a new album from the band sooner than later so we can hear what else their School can "teach" us. My only complaint: the ethereal voices were at times too low in the mix and should have been upped to be better appreciated. Overall though, the band delivered a stellar set. If you like their sound, definitely check them out live.

Tour dates
Sept 28 – Local 506 / Chapel Hill, NC*
Sept 29 – Drunken Unicorn / Atlanta*
Oct 01 – Emo’s / Austin*
Oct 02 – Austin City Limits Festival / Austin
Oct 04 – Casbah / San Diego*
Oct 05 – Troubadour / Los Angeles*
Oct 06 – Slim’s / San Francisco*
Oct 08 – Doug Fir / Portland
Oct 09 – Biltmore Cabaret / Vancouver
Oct 10 – Neumo’s / Seattle
Oct 13 – 7th Street Entry / Minneapolis
Oct 14 – Empty Bottle / Chicago
Oct 15 – Lee’s Palace / Toronto
Oct 16 – Pearl Street Nightclub / Northampton, MA
Oct 17 – Paradise / Boston
Oct 23 – Webster Hall / New York City
* with Phantogram