The Key » School of Seven Bells

Tonight’s Concert Picks: DRGN King at PhilaMOCA, The Great Unknown at Johnny Brenda’s, XPN Welcomes Martin Sexton to The Landis Theater, Nightlands at Arden Gild Hall

Julie Miller — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 15:01:40 +0000

Philly’s DRGN King are celebrating the release of Paragraph Nights tonight at PhilaMOCA. The full-length debut from the psychedelic power pop outfit was released through Bar / None Records on January 22nd and runs the gamut of infectiously good songwriting from the slick “Holy Ghost” to the party-ready “Wild Night.” More information for the all-ages show with Dangerous Ponies, Walking Shapes and Idle Idols can be found here. Stream Paragraph Nights here and watch DRGN King’s Dominic Angelella perform a solo, stripped-down version of “Holy Ghost” at Sofar Sounds from last weekend below.

The Great Unknown are also celebrating a record release tonight over at Johnny Brenda’s. The local five-piece are setting forth So Strange and Loud into the physical world, following the album’s digital release last May. With reflective melodies and intricate arrangements, the The Great Unknown strive to make connections with their audiences both through live performance and recorded material. Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with KC Jones and Ali Wadsworth can be found here. Below, stream “The Laws of Energy” from So Strange and Loud.

The Laws of Energy by The Great Unknown

XPN welcomes Martin Sexton to The Landis Theater tonight. The singer-songwriter is a quintessentially American musician, blending a variety of traditional playing styles including country, rock, gospel and R&B. Following up his 2010 LP Sugarcoating, Sexton released his Fall Like Rain EP last year. Both efforts come after his commercial breakthrough with 2007′s Seeds, which debuted at #6 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. Tickets and information for tonight’s all-ages show with The Alternate Routes in Vineland, NJ can be found here. Below, watch Martin Sexton perform “Can’t Stop Thinking ‘Bout You” with John Mayer.

Dave Hartley continues his busy start to the year with a Nightlands show at the Arden Gild Hall tonight. The solo project of the War on Drugs’ bass player, Nightlands released its sophomore effort Oak Island last week. The album fuses Hartley’s affinity for mystery and sci-fi with rollicking melodies and percussion, creating layer upon layer of rich textures through overdubbing and tape machine manipulation. Hartley spoke with ArtInfo recently to share some of his recording techniques and tricks; read the full interview here. Tickets and information for tonight’s show with School of Seven Bells can be found here. Below, watch the video for “I Fell In Love With a Feeling.”

My Morning Download: “Secret Days” by School Of Seven Bells (playing Union Transfer on Tuesday, November 27th)

Bruce Warren — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:58:12 +0000

Photo by Justin Hollar

The electro-synth pop duo School Of Seven Bells released an excellent new EP yesterday called Put Your Sad Down on Vagrant/Ghostly International. The EP includes four new original songs and a cover of “Lovefingers” originally recorded by the pioneering psychedelic electronic music group Silver Apples. Originally a trio when they started in 2006, School Of Seven Bells is lead vocalist Alejandra Deheza and Benjamin Curtis (Alejandra’s sister Claudia is no longer in the band). They debuted in 2008 with Alpinisms, a critically acclaimed collection of shoegazer/pop music. School of Seven Bells are co-headlining a show at Union Transfer on Tuesday, November 27th with Twin Sister. Go here for tickets to the show. Go hereto download “Secret Days.” Below, stream the new EP in its entirety.

Listen to a new School of Seven Bells track, “Secret Days” (playing Union Transfer on 11/27)

Skye Leppo — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 00:30:05 +0000

School of Seven Bells have started streaming an upbeat new single, “Secret Days,” from their upcoming EP Put Your Sad Down, which is scheduled for release November 13th. After Put Your Sad Down arrives you can catch School of Seven Bells playing with Twin Sister at Union Transfer on November 27th (find tickets here). Below, check out “Secret Days.”

School of Seven Bells announce EP and add another Philly show

Skye Leppo — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:33:26 +0000

School of Seven Bells, who are playing at UPenn’s November 3rd Jazz & Grooves concert (tickets available here), last week announced the release of an EP, Put Your Sad Down to accompany their album Ghostory, which came out in February. The band also announced another show with dreampop group Twin Sister in Philadelphia at Union Transfer November 27th; tickets for that show are available here.

Put Your Sad Down track listing:
1. Put Your Sad Down
2. Secret Days
3. Faded Heart
4. Lovefingers (Silver Apples)
5. Painting a Memory

Atlas Sound and School of Seven Bells Playing at UPenn on 11/3

Skye Leppo — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:56:39 +0000

As part of their Jazz & Grooves concert series, UPenn has announced a November 3rd concert with Atlas Sound and School of Seven Bells (SVIIB). Atlas Sound, the independent project of Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox, released his melancholic debut record Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, in 2008 – his most recent release is 2011′s Parallax. SVIIB’s latest album, Ghostory, came out earlier this year in February. Tickets for the show will be available starting tomorrow at 9 AM. Admission prices for students are $5 in advance, $10 at the door, and $15 for the public; more information about the show can be found here. Below, watch the video for “Half Asleep” from SVIIB’s 2008 record Alpinisms.