Hermione Hoby 

School of Seven Bells: Ghostory – review

The loss of one member and a ghostly concept theme cannot detract from School of Seven Bells' fantastic sound, writes Hermione Hoby
  
  


Neither the fact that they've lost a key member (Claudia Deheza left in 2010), nor that their third LP is a concept album about a haunted character called Lafaye, sounds auspicious, but happily SVllB still soun d fantastic. Pastel-coloured vocals from Alejandra Deheza (Claudia's twin) are layered over dance beats and huge, sweeping washes of ambient electronica, proving "propulsive dreampop" needn't be oxymoronic. Sometimes those driving beats can feel heavy-handed, as on the relentless-seeming six minutes of "Low Times", but they make amends with a triumphant final jam, "When You Sing".

 

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