Let’s address School of Seven Bells’ biographical information first. Benjamin Curtis passed away from T-cell carcinoma in 2013, leaving behind a laptop of material for his bandmate Alejandra Deheza. I’m not sure I would have been able to complete the record if I’d been in her shoes. When you’ve been making beautiful music together since 2007 and your musical soulmate passes away FAAAAAR too early in his life, I might have completed the songs just for myself, my family, and Curtis’ family. It would have been too personal and too hard.
Well, there’s a reason I write about music instead of writing it, because Deheza has released what might be School of Seven Bells’ best record in the form of its epitaph. School of Seven Bells has always trafficked in shoegaze, electro-pop, and goth-pop of acts like Slowdive, M83, and Garbage, but SVIIB takes those sensibilities and wraps them up in a cathartic burst of ebullient joy.
A delicate yet defined ratio of drums, keys, and guitars provide SVIIB its power. The synth pads refuse to be mere background noise, delivering key melodic phrases that bolster Deheza’s breathy mezzo-soprano. The drum patterns appear straight-forward on first glance – especially on pop-rock tunes like “A Thousand Times More” and “Music Takes Me” – but they come to life with glitchy syncopation on stellar cuts like “Open Your Eyes” and “Signals.” I’m also keen on the rich bass tones of both of the kick drum and guitar varieties on selections like “On My Heart” and “Elias.”
But everything truly comes together on the opening and closing tracks of this record: “Ablaze” and “This is Our Time.” Even if I hadn’t known the backstory to this SVIIB’s origins, I would have still been struck dumb by their emotional gravity: when Deheza intones “Our time is indestructible,” it’s hard not to get misty-eyed thinking about what I would say to my own loved ones if I lost them too early in life.
If SVIIB is truly is to be School of Seven Bells’ final album, these songs serve as near-perfect distillations of everything Curtis and the Deheza Sisters sought to create when they released Alpinisms in 2008. They are elegiac without being sad, mournful without being weepy, and majestic without grandstanding.
Released on Vagrant, SVIIB represents a seamless blend of the genres that have always impacted this School of Seven Bells’ vision and style. The pacing, arrangements, and dynamic shifts call to mind a delirious mix of ‘80s-meets-‘90s and then grab your attention to never let it go. There’s no droning or navel-gazing to be found – instead, Deheza’s head is lifted up to the sky, and her voice is clearer than ever in the mix. The effect is blissful and effervescent without being thin, airy, or contrived.
SVIIB is not a door closing on School of Seven Bells – it’s a door opening into the rest of Alejandra Deheza’s life and career.
Rating: Buy this terrific record, don’t be afraid to cry a little bit, and then give someone you love a hug.