Alpinisms Arrives
After many rumblings and murmurs, School of Seven Bells' full-length debut, Alpinisms, will finally see release today. The Brooklyn trio – comprising guitarist Benjamin Curtis (formerly of Secret Machines) and twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza (formerly of On!Air!Library!) – recorded the 11-song masterpiece over the course of a year. The resulting album is an absolute tour-de-force, a meticulous mix of shoegaze guitars, globe-spanning electronic beats, and sophisticated pop songcraft. Blonde Redhead's Simon Pace guests on the eleven-and-a-half-minute epic "Semipiternal/Amaranth."
SPIN says that "Alpinisms' sweeping, ethereal pop reveals a range of influences and a sophisticated approach to arrangement that sets the trio well apart from less imaginative latter-day shoegazers." Blender says, "Match the Deheza sisters's angelic vocals to a thick plodding beat and Edge-like guitars, and you've got something close to nirvana."
The band just played a revelatory late-night set at Ghostly's CMJ showcase last Saturday at NYC's (le) poisson rouge. New York Times blogger Ben Sisaro seemed to enjoy himself – read his very, very kind show review here.
Next, School of Seven Bells are flying to London for a few shows tonight and tomorrow, and launching an extensive November tour with Ghostly faves M83 afterward. Check out all of SVIIB's tour dates here.
