San Francisco – New York’s School of Seven Bells has not been a band immediately ushered to any foreground when indie rock or indie pop is brought into question. Until fairly recently, School of Seven Bells operated as a two-piece collective consisting of lead vocalist Alejandra Deheza and multi-instrumentalist Benjamin Curtis, formerly of the band Secret Machines, which saw lukewarm success in the first decade of the new millennium. The late Mr. Curtis was integral to the neo-shoegaze sound School of Seven Bells so eagerly pursued, and over the course of three full-length LPs and a few smaller releases, in the form of singles and EPs, his diligent attention to the craft of songwriting was both enthralling and surprising. Curtis – hand-in-hand with partner Deheza – exhibited no qualms, no regrets, no moments of weakness or frailty in his tenacious efforts to put forth the best material for himself and his bandmate. SVIIB, the band’s fourth full length semi-self titled LP, does little to shield any notions of restraint from Curtis himself, nor does it attempt to obscure the palpable loss Alejandra Deheza has endured these last few years.
Benjamin Curtis – the aforementioned left hand of School of Seven Bells – met a terribly unfortunate fate in 2013: he was diagnosed with a very aggressive strain of lymphoma, one called T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma, and less than a year after his diagnosis, the lymphoma claimed his life. In 2012, a year before the news broke, School of Seven Bells celebrated the release of its third LP, Ghostory (perhaps the best School of Seven Bells album), as well as an EP of songs called Put Your Sad Down. When Curtis publicly came out as a doomed patient, the entire sphere of indie music contributors and lovers heaved an enormous sigh. As the year drew to a close, the sigh grew deeper and more dismal. The news of Curtis’ passing echoed off the many bends of the dome’s brittle edges. Luckily, I had the opportunity to see School of Seven Bells on the final tour for the original duo, opening for Interpol at New Orleans’ House of Blues. Curtis was still himself at this point – at least he seemed to be – his floppy sandy hair sashaying from side to side as Alejandra navigated the stormy tides of early School of Seven Bells tracks pulled from their first two albums, 2008’s Alpinisms and 2010’s Disconnect from Desire, the latter being the LP the band was then touring behind (in support of Interpol’s somewhat lackluster fourth, self-titled LP).
Much has changed since that show back in 2011: I have moved away from New Orleans, Interpol has regained its footing with 2014’s El Pintor, and Curtis has unfortunately passed on, succumbing to his illness towards the end of 2014. When I heard about Benjamin’s passing, I was – as I am sure many fans were – unsure about the future of School of Seven Bells. It wasn’t until recent months that I heard of the band’s return with School of Seven Bells’ swan song and the ultimate album, this year’s SVIIB.
SVIIB is the semi-cryptic acronym-like structure that spells out the band’s name - School of Seven (VII) Bells – and is a fitting title for their final album. The LP’s nine tracks are only songs that Alejandra Dehaza and Benjamin Curtis worked on while Curtis was still alive. While the content is varied, much of it speaks to Curtis’ untimely death and how Deheza – his partner in songwriting as well as in life – has chosen to deal with his departure.
SVIIB is not a long album – much like any of School of Seven Bells’ previous efforts – but its nine tracks spanning just over forty minutes illustrate a carefully etched portrait of violent transition. This doesn’t feel like a last album; actually, in so many ways, it feels like a first, as Dehaza’s vocals have never sounded so gargantuan and urgent. With opening track “Ablaze,” we hear anger, tension, and tenacity. Alejandra is nothing but determined in lobbing her grenade-like emotion into the fray; each word detonates with unhinged rawness, threatening to ignite as the time between Curtis’ death and her own current existence begins to stretch. First song “Ablaze” sets up an interesting leitmotif, as it touches on the themes of rebirth, cleansing, and recovery. These themes are not uncommon throughout the rest of SVIIB.
None of these songs were written for Benjamin Curtis personally – at least that’s what the audience is supposed to understand – but there’s a lot being said here, and it would prove irresponsible if a reviewer, like myself, were to ignore that. Still, this album feels like an appropriately sanctioned, long-form eulogy for the late multi-instrumentalist, which isn’t bad, but I would like to think that neither Alejandra or Benjamin would want it to be received as such. So I won’t overthink it, and I won’t get too verbose in trying to describe it.
For me, the themes of fire and light are inescapable. As cliché as it may sound, the constant mention of fire goes hand-in-hand with the awakening determination of songs like “Open Your Eyes,” which celebrates eventual acceptance of reality, even though its subject may find it hard to come by. Similarly, the simmering vocals of second track “On My Heart” are pushy yet sentimental, bridging reminders that foolish people are everywhere these days (especially during Super Tuesday). Each track goes on to boast the insatiable acts of man in the name of law and God, none of which make sense in the eyes and words of Deheza, but thank God. In the world of SVIIB, everything is chaos, nothing makes sense, and the only way we can try to understand anything is to embrace disorder. It may seem shady and/or completely counter-intuitive, but who cares? We laude our peers with golden statues that mean nothing, but the music – which is what drives us forward, what separates US from THEM – always takes a back seat. Because money.
SVIIB isn’t a Mel Brooks movie. There is very little about it, if any bit, that can be seen as comedic. It’s just a terribly difficult album to write about. Personally, I often steer clear of negative criticism: I find it pandering, debilitating, and unprofessional. Thankfully, I have no negative things to say about it. SVIIB is the sort of album that tells a different story to anyone who takes the time to hear it. For some, it’s a quest for perfection. For others, it is a journey into a labyrinth of uncertainty. For me, the entire piece screams retribution. Whether it’s Alejandra Deheza begging for forgiveness or a second chance or a local publication questioning the motives of the victim or the organization that holds legal claim to unnamed phantoms of the system, someone’s voice is aching to be heard. Deheza uses her new material as tinder for fueling the flames of her phoenix rising, and to that I say a hearty “Hell yeah!” But who will come for those left in the ashes?
It’s not enough to recognize struggle; it’s those who dive into its gaping maw that truly see the reward. SVIIB is a welcome signal for lost souls to find a home in the pain and splendor of Alejandra Deheza’s latest masterpiece. The loss of Benjamin Curtis is rarely spoken of, but it is it truly felt. It is chronicled in the voluminous stacks of memory we claim to hold as human… though perhaps his memory alone is not worth it. We might not have known Curtis, but we know some glowing, eerie facet of his being, in some form or another. We carry the burden of history, yet while the beacon of future has the opportunity to shine bright, the murky shadows of our past threaten to darken its beam.
School of Seven Bells’ SVIIB is now available on CD and vinyl via Vagrant Records or for download through iTunes and Amazon. For more information visit the School of Seven Bells Facebook page.
Corey Bell
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