School of Seven Bells / M83
Webster Hall
11.14.08

When Benjamin Curtis left Secret Machines to form School of Seven Bells with stunning twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza , no one could have guessed just how great the records that both bands would end up releasing would be. Critics  and fans worried that it was the end of Secret Machines, and then the band managed to convince them otherwise. School of Seven Bells’ task was different than Secret Machines. Rather than maintain their fan-base, they had to build one. Starting off like any other new New York band, they began playing the cities smallest venues, but were quickly climbing the ladder, thanks to their resume, connections, and amazing sound. When I saw them open up for Blonde Redhead at Terminal 5 early in the year, I instantly became a fan. There was no question that they were on a fast rise to the top of the music scene. Then when CMJ came along, they played a load of shows, and were finally getting a load of recognition.

At Webster Hall on Friday night, they did not disappoint. Mixing shoegaze, krautrock, and mystical Cocteau Twins-like female harmonies, their set seemed short and left a desire for more. Curtis’ powerful guitar playing was just as mesmerizing as during his days with Secret Machines, and the beautiful Deheza sisters’ voices were dark and enchanting. There were points during the set where a live drummer would have been more exciting than drum machines, but they  were great, nevertheless.

Headlining the show was French pop shoegazers M83. When their record first made its way onto my desk, the John Hughes-spired artwork made it easy to dismiss yet oddly appealing. Strangely enough, the album cover was perfect preparation for the music contained inside—dreamy 80s-sounding pop music. It would take months for me to really begin to enjoy “Saturdays = Youth,” but it did eventually happen. While the record never hit me hard enough to make my my end of year list, their live performance on Friday was really pretty spectacular. The mostly instrumental shoegaze pop swept through the crowded venue and sucked us in for the marvelous vocals on tracks like “Graveyard Girl.” It was the type of performance that turns casual listeners into big fans.