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Posted in music | pictures on January 18, 2009
School of Seven Bells @ (le) poisson rouge, NYC -pics, setlist
words & photos by Natasha Ryan
Late Friday night (1/16) Brooklyn trio School of Seven Bells closed the Self-Titled Magazine "Oscillations" party at the Greenwich Village venue (le) poisson rouge. The dream-pop outfit, who have recently toured with acts such as M83 and Prefuse 73, opened with the airy "Wired for Light", layered with downtempo ambient beats and textured kraut synths feeding off Benjamin Curtis's (ex-Secret Machines) distorted riffs. "Iamundernodiguise" boasted the hypnotic harmonies of the Deheza sisters, with vocal interplay hinting of Middle Eastern melodies over heavy tribal drum tracks. Dramatic lighting and thick smoke enveloped the stage making it easy to feel slightly disoriented in the otherworldly soundscapes. The highlight appeared to be the poppier "Half Asleep" as the entire front row could be seen dancing and singing along. Towards the the end of the eight-song set the vocals felt lost in the droning guitars and the swelling noise became a woozy, visceral experience. The set ended with the stage completely immersed in smoke, a fitting visual for the euphoric resolution.
More pictures and the setlist below...
setlist
1. Wired for Light
2. Iamundernodisguise
3. Chain
4. Connjur
5. White Elephant Coat
6. Half Asleep
7. My Cabal
8. Sempiternal/Amaranth
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Posted on January 18, 2009 7:31 PM
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Comments (21)
this is a fantastic band.
Posted by Anonymous | January 18, 2009 7:50 PM
guy could use a haircut
other than that it was great
Posted by Anonymous | January 18, 2009 7:53 PM
More like School of Seven Boners!
Posted by Anonymous | January 18, 2009 8:19 PM
Lucky dude.. I liked this band better before they went all smooth electronica.. they had this kind of heavy percussion and sparse lead instuments thing going on for a little while that was kind of cool.
Posted by Richie | January 18, 2009 8:25 PM
pretty girls with awkward stage presence.
Posted by annie momus | January 18, 2009 8:50 PM
fashion band
Posted by Anonymous | January 18, 2009 9:00 PM
"More like School of Seven Boners!"
LOL, I was thinking School of Seven Balls.
Shitty music, gotta love it!
Posted by Anonymous | January 18, 2009 9:51 PM
I think they're pretty good.
Posted by Anonymous | January 18, 2009 10:17 PM
great photos. great show. surprised they didn't play Prince of Peace, but an amazing night nonetheless.
Posted by Anonymous | January 18, 2009 10:39 PM
it was pretty cool.
Free Blood blewwww though.
Posted by Anonymous | January 18, 2009 11:22 PM
secret machines > school of 7 bells
Posted by Anonymous | January 18, 2009 11:54 PM
a perfect band for a NYLON profile...
Posted by Anonymous | January 19, 2009 3:04 AM
half asleep is a good one
Posted by Anonymous | January 19, 2009 9:57 AM
who the fuck are these guys?
Posted by Anonymous | January 19, 2009 11:53 AM
school of seven bells = rhythmically retarded / pretty harmonies / pete wentz styling
What does DFA hear in Free Blood? Sounded like a bunch of lushes singing to a fucked up karaoke machine
Posted by Anonymous | January 19, 2009 12:03 PM
@ 12:03
why did you even bother going?
Posted by Anonymous | January 19, 2009 12:36 PM
Thanks..
Posted by izmir evden eve | January 19, 2009 1:14 PM
12:36 - I went to check School of Seven Bells.
.... Justin Miller and Juan Mclean had good sets and in my opinion saved the bill.
I presume that you disagree? Sorry if I offended you.
Posted by Anonymous | January 19, 2009 3:10 PM
Well, technically they opened - shame they didn't play for longer. (No "Conjurr," really?) Amazing photos, though!
Posted by Roland | January 19, 2009 4:58 PM
On! Air! Library! (Deheza sisters' previous band) were better.
Posted by Anonymous | January 20, 2009 1:47 AM
Best tracks on the album are "My Cabal" and "Half Asleep"
Posted by Anonymous | January 20, 2009 11:36 AM