Philadelphia Weekly

MUSIC

Critic's Pick: School of Seven Bells

By Jennifer Kelly

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Apr. 3, 2012

School of Seven Bells

The eponymous school is at least one bell short, following the departure of founding member Claudia Deheza—and naturally that affects the chemistry of this dreamy, beat-shocked outfit. Their third album, Ghostory, finds Benjamin Curtis, once of Secret Machines, bringing guitar sounds to fill the space left by Deheza’s absent synthesizers, and, in the process, injecting grit and heat into the mix. Meanwhile, remaining band founder and twin sister Alexa Deheza may no longer enjoy the eerie harmonic support of a voice genetically identical to her own, but she instead finds clarity in more traditionally structured melodies. All this bodes well for the live experience—as does the final cut on Ghostory, “When You Sing,” a long, ecstatic exploration of the joys of beat, repetition and ethereal melody.

Wed., April 4, 8pm. $13. With Exitmusic. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave. 215.739.9684. johnnybrendas.com