we saw: School of Seven Bells

"Can't Not Seem To Remember My Dreams Lately"
(Photo by redhead canvas)
If you see a show and don't post about it, did you really see it? Well, that was the case with the phenomenal Ghostly showcase, which closed out CMJ at (le) Poisson Rouge roughly 2 months ago. It wasn't long after the Detroit powerhouse released School of Seven Bell's intoxicating Alpinisms, and pairing the synthetic dream-gazers with dapper, micro-popist Matthew Dear couldn't have been a better bill. In fact, it was the best show we saw at CMJ. By far.


School of Seven Bells returned to NYC for a small club show last night at the Mercury Lounge, which was dimly lit and smelled like a Nag Champa factory. The atmosphere was perfect for School of Seven Bells, who appropriately got together during a late-night bonding session on tour. Dreamy, narcotic bangers like "Half Asleep" were shrouded in dense layers of manipulated guitars and pre-programmed drums, while relentless strobe lights forced many to enjoy the show with eyes half open, or entirely shut. This was beneficial, as, for me, the only way to experience School of Seven Bells is to shut your eyes and shake your head, letting blasts of color hypnotize your psyche as waves of sound wash over your entranced body (and mind). The band ran through the majority of Alpinisms, including "My Cabal", "White Elephant Coat", "Chain" and "Iamundernodisguise" during their short, but mesmerizing set. One of our favorite debut's of 2008's, we only wish they'd join Matthew Dear and fellow Ghostly artist (and CMJ show alum) Michna late night for New Years at LPR (2am-8am). Too bad they'll be tearing up Tokyo.

School of Seven Bells "Chain" 11/11/08

new music: Deastro

Sky High Anthems
Making a strong case for label of the year, Ghostly International's newest release, Deastro's debut album Keepers, is an overwhelmingly strong collection of singles and basements tapes similar to LCD Soundsystem's debut, only rather than packaging it with a second disc of new material, Deastro plans to release a new album, Moondagger, in January.

Sonically disparate from LCD, Deastro's songs are textured and complex and cover a melange of genres while still maintaining a central aesthetic. They would be perfect touring with fellow Ghostly-mates School of Seven Bells (hint hint) or School of Seven Bells tour-mates M83, or Peter Bjorn & John, who have no relationship with any of them.

Keepers is available only through digital download. It's a shame, because the digital download is well worth the $10--Keepers deserves a proper release.



from Ghostly's description of Keepers:

All of this genre-hopping — shy synth-pop to instrumental robot-rock, whisper-soft ballads to sky-high anthems — would be nothing if not for Chabot’s deliriously fizzy production and soft-focus melodies. Keepers is like that three-eyed space cat: a strange amalgamation of an artist’s various obsessions, disjointed but held together by sheer force of will, coming from humble origins but belying grand ambitions of beauty, positivity, and imagination.

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ED Note: Speaking of Ghostly, they just posted this incredibly 90's, betamax crushing suburban “Triple Chrome Dipped" banger from label signee Michna, who you may recognize for his work on Bonde Do Role's WIth Lasers.

mix: Flying Lotus

"Because We Separate"

When not increasing the syzurpy-ness of "A Milli" by tenfold, tweaking Reefer's "Let It Go" with Gravity Bong ooz, taking a scalpel to the membrane of "Reckoner" and dropping his own outer-wordly LP, Flying Lotus can be found sequencing bad ass mixes for the BBC, which includes Bobka favorites Alice Coltrane, Burial, Ghostly International's Osbourne, Portishead and even a Chocolate Star/Nelly Furtado mash up that features "Promiscuous Girl." Peep the comments for the tracklisting. It's a doozey. (via Mad Dec)

Download Flying Lotus Essential Mix

new: School of Seven Bells

"All Kinds of People, Places and Things"
Really been digging this new School of Seven Bells track "Connjur", which feels like it's transmitted from a galaxy far, far away. It probably is. The group, which formed after Benjamin Curtis left Secret Machines, specializes in intergalactic electronic pop, similar to that of upcoming tourmates M83. It's dark, synthetic and perfect for late night jaunts through dark, industrial wastelands...or space. The group will issue its first release, a 7"/Digital only release of Half Asleep/Caldo, on the always awesome Ghostly International on 9/16/08, with a full length, (Alpinisms) to follow. Look for School of Seven Bells on tour with M83 this fall.

School of Seven Bells- Connjur

remix: The Chap "They Have A Name" (Atlas Sound Remix)

"Hearthrob Hits The Ladies"

Blogger just did something really odd to these images after I uploaded them. Oddly enough, the bizarre manipulation couldn't be more appropriate for this post. Our friend Brooke has been peeping us to The Chap for a while and while I've enjoyed their macabre synth pop, it should be no surprise, that I'm really digging on Bradford Cox's remix of The Chap's "They Have A Name." As per usual, Cox takes the basic framework and trips it out with a series of noisy oscillations, jolting found sounds and other Atlas Sound goodness. It's gotten to the point where we might as well rename Chocolate Bobka, "The Totally Gay for Bradford Cox Blog." Bells and distortion, a combination for the ages.


The Chap- They Have A Name (Atlas Sound Remix)
The Chap- They Have A Name

coming soon: Kate Simko

Kate Simko first caught my ear with last year's stellar Strumm EP. Her minimal sound and acute attention to detail immediately appealed to the Herbert side of my electronic appetite.

Simko was raised on the piano, focusing her studies on classical then jazz piano (hence the Herbert-like qualities) before eventually becoming swept up by the electronic music scene in the mid-90's. Her studies took her to Santiago, where she teamed up with Chilean producer/composer Andres Bucci and the pair released an album under the moniker Detalles in 2003. Simko returned to the US and has since been active DJ'ing and composing minimal techno and is slated to release her "She Said EP" March 25th on Ghostly Intl's Spectral imprint. Although I've yet to hear it, P4K claims "the EP suggests not only Simko's definitive arrival but also the revitilization of Ghostly's Spectral offshoot." Can someone please just give Mort some sort of frequent buyer card? A Ghostpass perhaps?

BELOW: "Machine War" from 2006's Strumm EP (available for digital download via myspace)