This School's Littered With Ghosts

It's been a long while since I gave an actual, proper review on here. SO, seeing as I got thrown this album a little while ago and have tinkered with it for a couple publications, I thought I'd put it up here for today. Enjoy!

When a band loses a member, it is expected to see a dramatic change in the musical aesthetic. When said member is a sibling, it could prove to be even more divisive. But after Claudia Deheza walked out on New York band School Of Seven Bells after the success of their 2010 LP Disconnect From Desire, twin sister Alejandro and Benjamin Curtis kept the juggernaut rolling, and in Ghostory have crafted their most cohesive and consistent record to date. Nevertheless, the title seems fitting, as Claudia’s absence haunts every track.

There are tracks on Ghostory that reach heights hitherto unreached by the band. 'White Wind' drips with Gothic urgency, Deheza’s vocals a breathy monotone that provides an icy tension. Elsewhere there is 'Low Times', which benefits greatly from a machine-like vocal delivery and some persistent repetition, an effect also utilised on album opener 'The Night'. Deheza realises that everything hinges on her voice, and whilst she is effective, driven forward by Curtis’ production zeal, it was the double helix of the Deheza twins’ harmonies that pushed School Of Seven Bells into a different realms. On tracks such as 'Love Play' and 'Layafe', the duo struggle to rise above the current swell of 80s-styled disco-synth bands that dabble in light psychedelia and delicately crafted pop.


By the time the nine minute “epic” 'When You Sing' arrives to round out the album, the repetition that seemed vital at the start bears down heavily. To call Ghostory uninspired would be unfair, yet it is clear that the duo have to dig deeper for musical inspiration if they are to stay afloat.

Classier than usual, huh? Well, don't get used to it... Ghostory is available through Vagrant Records.

SOSB - The Night
SOSB - White Wind

British Skulls Balance The Sweet With The Sour

I have always been on the fence with Southampton, England trio Band Of Skulls. I've felt like they walk the road most travelled, or at least the one that is paved and easy to walk on, for their brand of guitar-bass-drums is so familiar that it could be any number of acts running through their stadium-dream repertoire. So I'm pretty surprised by Sweet Sour, their latest full length.

Or more rightly, confused.

For on face value the M.O. hasn't changed one iota - Russell Marsden, Emma Richardson and Matt Hayward are still spieling out the rock jam mantra like before. Yet there is something about their unabashed love of 1970's British garage rock, their adherence to more contemporary revivalists (see The White Stripes via The Kills on 'Bruises') and their flat out refusal to rock the boat that in this instance really appeals. They are incredibly tight, and their ability to switch between spacious jams, dulcet balladry and teeth-rattling venom is perfect to a tee. Hayward's drumming is the centrifugal point for this interchange, swapping precision to aggression at the drop of a pin, whilst the interweaving of Marsden and Richardson's boy/girl vocal harmonies are spot on, with Marsden in particular taking control with both his voice and axe-shredding.

As stated earlier, there is certainly nothing inherently new here, and as seen with many other acts down the line, precise mimicry doesn't impress. But Band Of Skulls are much more than a glorified cover band. They are silky, seductive rock machine, and Sweet Sour is the perfect follow up to show that they aren't here with the also-rans - there is much more in the tank.


Sweet Sour is out through Vagrant - grab it here.

Band Of Skulls - Sweet Sour
Band Of Skulls - You're Not Pretty But You Got It Goin' On

Craig Finn Has Full Eyes, A Clear Heart...And Half A Dozen Stubbies

Craig Finn, frontman of The Hold Steady, has released his first solo album, Clear Heart Full Eyes. It certainly doesn't veer too far away from his tried and tested formula, but that is never a bad thing. The first taste off it, 'Apollo Bay', is a yarn about a trip in Australia that spirals halfway into a burning psych jam. With choral lines that include driving to the aforementioned bay, and the excitement that we are partaking in a geographical kinship with a worthy wordsmith, the affinity to Mr Finn is immediate (although surely you could partake in beers much better than Victoria Bitter?). The rest of the album follows suit, so whilst musically we end up straddling the rock of Lifter Puller and the stadium rollick of The Hold Steady, Finn remains as true as ever to his autobiographical sword, carving colourful vignettes with his usual esoteric verve. I've been a moderate fan of The Hold Steady for some time - one of my favourite tracks is 'Chips Ahoy' - and after seeing them destroy The Zoo back in March last year, even more so. This album shows another shade of Finn, whilst highlighting the fact that he is one of the best lyricists in business today, his literary rants as verbose and empathetic as ever. Well worth a listen, Full Eyes Clear Heart is out now through Vagrant Records.



Craig Finn - Apollo Bay
Craig Finn - No Future