Traffic Jams: School of 7 Bells – ‘Connjur’

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Did you get up to doing anything nice? I marched in the NYC Pride parade with my band on Sunday, which was a pretty fun gig! And, speaking of New York City, how about a little bit of New York indie to kick start your week?

Here’s School of 7 Bells and the band’s excellent track, “Connjur.”

Made up of identical twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza, alongside Benjamin Curtis, School of 7 Bells formed in 2007 and released their debut album a year later.

The band, and its four albums, are often described as “indie rock” or “electronic”, but I always think of them as having a nice dreamy vibe. I’m not sure what genre that fits into though.

Anyway, that first album was called Alpinisms, which it’s quite a lovely listen.

But that wasn’t where I first heard the band. Instead, that moment came on a compilation record released by UK-based producer Jon Hopkins. His Late Night Tales release is a voyage through everything from classical piano-led pieces to low-fi beats and poetry. It’s a perfect Monday morning listen.

And on this compilation, you’ll find “Connjur” by School of 7 Bells. It’s not quite the same edit you’ll find in the original release, and instead cuts back on some of the song’s guitar riffs. This lets the band’s synth lines shine through and leaves the vocals of Alejandra Deheza to really lead the track.

It’s a real high point on the Late Night Tales compilation record that Hopkins has put together.

So, to kick off the new week, take four and a half minutes to let the track wash over you. Then start Late Night Tales from the beginning and let that coax you back into the real world.