Album Review: School of Seven Bells Disconnect From Desire

School of Seven Bells <i>Disconnect From Desire</i>. Photo / Supplied

Rating: 3/5
Verdict: Not so lethal second album from US trio

School of Seven Bells inhabit a musical world that was big in the late 80s and early 90s, when bands like the Cocteau Twins, Curve, Slowdive, and at the more twisted end of the spectrum, My Bloody Valentine, were in their heyday.

It was an ethereal and quite often unnerving place. They sound most like Curve, a great searing band with a female singer, punishing beats, industrial-strength guitar and waves of distortion.

Well, at least that's what SOSB - made up of Benjamin Curtis (formerly of sonic Texan band Secret Machines), together with identical twins Alejandra and Claudia Deheza - were like on impressive debut album Alpinisms (2008).

This follow-up is nice enough, with the catchy Windstorm a rousing opener, I L U a touching wistful ballad, and long atmospheric last track The Wait is beautiful, though a little dreary. So it's hardly as riveting and lacks the lethal attack of the debut - and even though they mined that shoegaze era on Alpinisms they still sounded unique, whereas now they sound a little derivative.

However, groove and menace prevail on six-minute highlight Dust Devil, which simmers along, on Heart Is Strange they get their Eurythmics-meets-Curve pulse on, and centrepiece Babelonia is a beautifully woozy, crackling stealth mantra. So for those who were fans of shoegaze, and the dream pop of the Cocteau Twins way back then, you can't go wrong with SOSB for a modern-day version.

-TimeOut