Bye Bye Bye are about as New Order as you can get without wheeling out Bernard Sumner
haha was just thinking this about bye bye bye, which I listen to obsessively on the drives to and from work. it's like the bastard love child of st. etienne and new order. the end is so good, I want to loop the hook for another five minutes.
― akm, Friday, 8 October 2010 04:40 (2 years ago) Permalink
Just posted on their Facebook page...
Hi everybody. We just wanted to let you all know that Claudia has left the band for personal reasons. In the meantime, we are excited to continue to write and tour as usual, and we're very much looking forward to seeing you all at our upcoming shows. ♥ Alley and Benjamin
― Stockhausen's Helicopter Quartet (Elvis Telecom), Tuesday, 12 October 2010 22:59 (2 years ago) Permalink
Is Claudia one of the uglier ones in the troupe?
In terms of chord progressions and all that. The name should be sacked for starters the spoilt brat
― Fer Jessie the Drunk Dutch Mountain Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Tuesday, 12 October 2010 23:08 (2 years ago) Permalink
ahem.. well there goes a perfectly good thread
― Stockhausen's Helicopter Quartet (Elvis Telecom), Tuesday, 12 October 2010 23:14 (2 years ago) Permalink
I don't like this development. Well, either of these developments (Claudia leaving or the introduction of assholery into the thread).
― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 12 October 2010 23:45 (2 years ago) Permalink
Indeed, thanks for nothing Fer Jessie.
WELL -- in that case, I can say that I caught one of the first shows in the new lineup, then! I will definitely regret not seeing them do Disconnect stuff with Claudia since not hearing the full harmony overlay live was certainly a missing element but as everything else pretty well killed, roll on whatever's next.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 12 October 2010 23:46 (2 years ago) Permalink
Wonder if she was really "sick" for that show, Ned, or...?
I missed the Austin show three days ago, sadly, and can't find any info on whether Claudia played w/ them. :(
― more than ever convinced ilxor is a sock (ilxor), Wednesday, 13 October 2010 00:40 (2 years ago) Permalink
To be honest I didn't exactly catch what Ben said on stage, it sounded like he said she was indisposed or whatever but it was more than likely something generally vague.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 13 October 2010 00:44 (2 years ago) Permalink
Looking thru Facebook comments, it sound like Claudia was out for the Dallas show so I'm guessing Austin as well. Btw, Ned, the band linked (and commented on) your foxy digitalis piece on their FB page. :)
― more than ever convinced ilxor is a sock (ilxor), Wednesday, 13 October 2010 00:45 (2 years ago) Permalink
Yeah, very nice of them!
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 13 October 2010 01:27 (2 years ago) Permalink
Nice job on the Fallon show tonight, but could barely hear Ben's guitar
― Stockhausen's Helicopter Quartet (Elvis Telecom), Thursday, 28 October 2010 09:22 (2 years ago) Permalink
I never saw them live with Claudia, but I'm assuming she filled in some vocal harmonies that seem to be missing here. Regardless, it was nice to see one of my favorite songs of the year being played on national tv.
― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 28 October 2010 17:11 (2 years ago) Permalink
I'm assuming she filled in some vocal harmonies that seem to be missing here
Spot on. I wonder if they're going to get a replacement for her at some point.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 28 October 2010 17:13 (2 years ago) Permalink
I saw them in DC a few days ago and it just didn't click with only one vocalist. She did her best and sounded great but that's how those songs are supposed to sound. It didn't help that the synths and a lot of the beats were played from a laptop, though that's forgivable. Still glad I went and they are obviously a talented group.
― skip, Thursday, 28 October 2010 18:51 (2 years ago) Permalink
Acoustic "Dust Devil" as part of Take Away Show knockoff: http://vimeo.com/13924411
It's also fucking fantastic
― Stockhausen's Helicopter Quartet (Elvis Telecom), Friday, 29 October 2010 08:56 (2 years ago) Permalink
damn, i didn't know claudia left :(
― lex lex lex lex lex on the track BOW (lex pretend), Friday, 29 October 2010 08:59 (2 years ago) Permalink
Just posted to their facebook page:
These will somehow feature in the upcoming video for "I L U". Mostly I'm just happy that there's going to be a video for "I L U".
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 1 November 2010 16:11 (2 years ago) Permalink
Video for "I L U" finally up. It's exquisite in every respect.
http://vimeo.com/17016568
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 22 November 2010 23:36 (2 years ago) Permalink
The not-clipping-your-guitar-strings trend is so hip rite now.
Also I dunno if it's just me but these guy's really aren't so much a shoegaze band to me anymore. I don't know what to classify them as but it's just way too minimalist with the latest album.
― Good news, everyone! (kelpolaris), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 03:55 (2 years ago) Permalink
Not a complaint, surely.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 24 November 2010 17:20 (2 years ago) Permalink
Don't know how I missed this before, but this Siouxsie cover is terrific: http://vimeo.com/16176931
― Stockhausen's Ekranoplan Quartet (Elvis Telecom), Friday, 3 December 2010 05:28 (2 years ago) Permalink
thankig u!!
― i genuinely thought when i first joined that he was the admin (ilxor), Friday, 3 December 2010 15:52 (2 years ago) Permalink
I am juuuuuust hearing them for the first time right now; halfway thru "Disconnect from Desire" and I can tell you that this is easily one of the best albums I've heard this year. It's v Curvey but not as lol90s
― friday! (Stevie D(eux)), Friday, 10 December 2010 17:47 (2 years ago) Permalink
Heads up Los Angeles!
LA people- We’re doing a very rare full acoustic set live in LA on Wednesday. Should be cool. Check by here soon for details…
― Stockhausen's Ekranoplan Quartet (Elvis Telecom), Tuesday, 14 December 2010 07:40 (2 years ago) Permalink
Acoustic show (well, acoustic guitars augmented by laptop + POD effects box) tonight was fantastic. Even played the Siouxsie cover...
Whatever they end up doing next, I'm on board.
― Stockhausen's Ekranoplan Quartet (Elvis Telecom), Thursday, 16 December 2010 05:46 (2 years ago) Permalink
I just got around to picking up Disconnect From Desire
what a fantastic album
― Indolence Mission (DJP), Tuesday, 11 January 2011 15:20 (2 years ago) Permalink
Indeed!
― Dr. (Johnny Fever), Tuesday, 11 January 2011 15:20 (2 years ago) Permalink
Told ya.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 11 January 2011 15:21 (2 years ago) Permalink
it's funny, because on my first listen I was all "this isn't a shoegaze album, wth were you all talking about" and then I heard the implied feedback/wash of sound and went "....OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
― Indolence Mission (DJP), Tuesday, 11 January 2011 15:27 (2 years ago) Permalink
Hahah. (Now imagine what it's like live.)
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 11 January 2011 15:29 (2 years ago) Permalink
kicking myself for not going to their show because I didn't know any of their music when they came through town
― Indolence Mission (DJP), Tuesday, 11 January 2011 15:29 (2 years ago) Permalink
Seeing them live was very much the trick for me getting into the band to start with, as I mutter upthread somewhere; having said that, the new album is so consistently strong that it can be its own gateway.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 11 January 2011 15:37 (2 years ago) Permalink
hate to say that as much as i love the new album, the first one does it one better-- if not for the songs (which are equally strong on both records), then the cavernous, shimmery production, which took a slight step down on the new one
― ilxor this could be a standout thread for you imo (ilxor), Tuesday, 11 January 2011 16:07 (2 years ago) Permalink
that said, "ILU" is the best tune they've done by FAR soooo
I still haven't managed to get into the new album, apart from "Windstorm". Somehow it lacks the intimacy of Alpinisms for me.
― Dans la Bot (seandalai), Tuesday, 11 January 2011 16:12 (2 years ago) Permalink
Two clips from the show tonight. They're just killing it live these days...
― Stockhausen's Ekranoplan Quartet (Elvis Telecom), Wednesday, 2 February 2011 11:20 (2 years ago) Permalink
how's the live set without the 2x vocal harmonies thing?
― Damn this thread seems so....different without ilxor (ilxor), Wednesday, 2 February 2011 14:46 (2 years ago) Permalink
It depends... I've seen them twice w/Claudia and twice without and out of all of these shows, I liked last night's one the best. I do miss hearing Claudia's harmonies, but they're overcompensating in interesting ways. Ben is basically doing everything now and hops around like a crazed mad scientist guitar hero. Ally has a stage presence now that she didn't really have earlier and with all the noise they're making now I wonder how much of that harmony would get drowned out. Hopefully, Claudia could make an appearance at least on the next album?
― Stockhausen's Ekranoplan Quartet (Elvis Telecom), Thursday, 3 February 2011 01:39 (2 years ago) Permalink
Having played Disconnect From Desire to death for about a month now, why is "I L U" the default approved song? I mean, it's a good song, but it seems very... safe, I guess? It's a very straightforward beat, very simple vocal line, very simple vocal harmony, very simple instrumental arrangement... it seems like the least representative song on the album of what this band seems to be about (syncopation and vocal harmony, mostly).
"Camarilla", on the other hand, is just full-on great. I love the way the harmony comes in on the verse and the moving thirds in the second half, mixed in with the creepy suspensions in the low voice of the chorus.
― Indolence Mission (DJP), Friday, 11 February 2011 16:18 (2 years ago) Permalink
try just getting over a breakup and then listening to I L U'i want you to know that i loved you' is just extremely emotionally powerful
― ouroboros shoal (diamonddave85), Friday, 11 February 2011 16:48 (2 years ago) Permalink
Yeah the words do take it to a pretty high level, once they sank in.
But "Camarilla" and "Jovian" are just as A+.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 11 February 2011 16:51 (2 years ago) Permalink
yeah forgive me but I'm not about to break up an 18-year relationship so I can truly feel a song
like I said, I think it's a good song; I just vibe off of the musical choices of most of the other songs on the album more
― CAN YOU GULP ANY LOUDER PISS WOMAN (DJP), Friday, 11 February 2011 18:57 (2 years ago) Permalink
I hadn't been through a break up or anything even close when I first fell in love with that song, but I could identify with the feeling by memory...which I guess is way harder to do if you've been in a relationship for 18 years. But even discounting that angle, the chorus's melody just cuts my guts like a knife.
― Johnny Fever, Friday, 11 February 2011 19:37 (2 years ago) Permalink
It's not the melody, though (which is very basic pentatonic scale motion); it's the chord progression that is interesting/impressive in the chorus of that song (and that's mostly because of the false cadence on the first two repetitions followed by the real cadence with suspensions on the outro).
Also IMO the killer line is "And I was a fool to think/It'd be easier to leave/Than to be left behind"; without that, the chorus is kind of powerless and context-free.
(I do like the song a lot but it doesn't strike me as THE SONG of the album, partially because its construction is out of step with what's happening on most of the other tracks.)
― CAN YOU GULP ANY LOUDER PISS WOMAN (DJP), Friday, 11 February 2011 20:47 (2 years ago) Permalink
I L U is too slick and contrived to have any real emotional resonance with me, but it's fantastic nonetheless. i think it works by virtue of its simplicity -- the restrained vocal line, instrumentation etc. make for a very elegant song.
― charlie h, Friday, 11 February 2011 21:23 (2 years ago) Permalink
I just picked up Alpinisms. I see why ppl would prefer this to DFD (it's way more indie)
― Dreaded Burrito Gang (DJP), Tuesday, 3 May 2011 18:38 (2 years ago) Permalink
Update on band and new album: http://stereogum.com/878532/progress-report-school-of-seven-bells/franchises/progress-report/
― Stockhausen's Ekranoplan Quartet (Elvis Telecom), Monday, 14 November 2011 22:05 (1 year ago) Permalink
I like me the sound of that.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 14 November 2011 23:10 (1 year ago) Permalink
*drums fingers*
― dead precedents politics as usual (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 10 January 2012 03:04 (1 year ago) Permalink
i had "i l u" on repeat tonight
― teledyldonix, Tuesday, 10 January 2012 10:17 (1 year ago) Permalink