School of Seven Bells
(Vagrant)
One person's single mom only had the time and money for TV dinners and the occasional fast food splurge, while another kid was treated to homemade meals and outings to Michelin-starred restaurants. In many cases, these two individuals would have developed different palates. So it seems to be, at times, with music. Last year, a friend positively crowed to his Facebook crew about a School of Seven Bells appearance in L.A. After sampling the band's sounds, if I'd wanted to rain on his parade I would have texted a quizzical emoticon back at him.
Sure, the debut's "Half Asleep" stirred up some chewably chunky rhythms, while "My Cabal" and "Prince of Peace" provided serious trip/trance fodder. The sounds still seemed to merge ‘80s synth-Pop/Techno beats with a watered-down version of Celtic/trad. British Isles folk (Steeleye Span sure rocked this stuff with more hot blood and excitement). I hadn't heard the term "dream pop" and didn't realize this had become, in some circles, a desirable attainment.
Disconnect From Desire tempts this palate even less than the debut. But musical gastronomes seeking embellishment for Cocteau Twins and Secret Machines mixes should still be reasonably satiated. And the owner of this particular palate hasn't experienced SOSB live - by all accounts, a lofty, hypnotic affair.
DOWNLOAD: "Babelonia," "Windstorm," "ILU" MARY LEARY
