Music Banter

School of Seven Bells, who I’ve previously discussed on here, back when this blog had no pictures or nothin’ have a new record in the can, so it seems. It’s going to be called ‘Disconnect From Desire’ and it’ll be out in July. They’ve given Stereogum an exclusive on one of the new tracks, Babelonia.

Like some kind of musical blog-parasite, here I am reposting that link. From that page there’s a widget where you can download it, if you’re happy to give them your email address. I would, if I were you- the more spam I get sent about these guys, the better.

In a lot of ways, the track is more of the same- the same sort of blissful grooving guitar, pristine female vocals and sense of inexorable, gliding momentum. It makes me think of looking out of train windows, and watching the countryside spin past, which is exactly what this kind of music should do.

The obvious touchstones you expect from this band are there- the guitars still sound blessed by the hand of Kevin Shields, but there are other bits and bobs thrown into the mix- the ‘chorus’ melody sounds quite like the sort of thing Stereolab would have done, only it’s behind a few strange layers of effects. It’s all very nice. There’s also a few bleeps and such at the start of the track that are a nice opening touch.

Overall, then, School of Seven Bells haven’t done much here to progress, or take their overall sound much further out there- they’ve simply plowed their furrow, and made a piece of music that’s a little slicker than something on ‘Alpinism.’ Nothing that remarkable about it, but it’s well-done and a good sign of more pleasant, blissful listening times to come, when their album comes out in July.

Here’s a Sparrow:

Here’s a Workshop:

Two very disparate things, you might think. I would think so, too, but apparently if you combine the two of them you get a sound like a sort of Country and Western desperation. Or so this Glasgow-based three-piece think, anyway. I’m not going to whinge about terrible band names, as this one isn’t all that bad, really, and anyway, everyone knows that the worst band name in the world is ‘The Beatles,’ so it doesn’t really matter, does it?

What do this lot sound like, then?

Well, here’s their Myspace.See what you think.

Oh, you actually want ME to tell YOU, do you? Lazy bastards. Well, if I must. Just don’t go disagreeing with me afterwards.

They sound like a Scottish Howling Bells, mainly- countrified, spaghetti-western guitar, raggedy drums and a sneering, crooning female singer whose lyrics speak of relationships which were more like battlegrounds, where both sides dished out plenty. The protagonist of the songs is no wilting victim- on one song she sings about wanting to break her man down and build him up again exactly the way she wants him. On ‘Gun’ she crows ‘Now you’re safe in jail/and I’m set free to sail’ but it’s not a ‘you can’t touch me any more’ vibe you get, it’s more a kind of ‘I set you up for the fall and now you’re doing time for the crime committed together’ sort of affair. What I’m saying is, don’t mess.

They’re not bad at all- a little derivative of the aforementioned Howling Bells, but that’s no bad thing. They sound like they’d be pretty good live, too. By the look of the gig list on their Myspace, pretty much all of Europe is going to get the opportunity to decide if I’m right. Not that all of Europe, or indeed any of it cares about my opinion, but you get the point, I hope.

Oh, and apparently they managed to convince Tom Robinson to say the word ‘manboob’ on National radio, which has got to be good for something, doesn’t it?

Finding new music you like is like finding new love. It’s exciting, envigorating, and makes you walk around with a spring in your step, with thoughts of the wonderful new thing you’ve discovered dancing through your head. It’s giddy, it’s exciting, and it’s blind. In a week’s time, well, it might be gone. In your excitement, you might well be overlooking small things which will just end up driving you nuts over the long haul, grinding your teeth out and mentally vowing to murder them if they ever do ‘that thing with their teeth’ again. Of course, the other thing about these instant infatuations is that as soon as you proclaim your love to your mates, there’s always the possibility that everyone else sees these deficiencies straight away, and will sigh and say ‘well, they’ll get over it in time.’ We’ve all been there, I’m sure.

Well, that may be the case, but for now, I’m smitten.

Ladies, and gentlemen,I give you Beth Jeans Houghton and the Hooves of Destiny, my new favourite band of today.

Honestly, how can you not love a band whose singer claims to have been raised by a family of albino wolves, and who say that their aim in the world of music is to ‘make bestiality cool again and make beautiful music until their hooves drop off’?

This time it’s true love.