Disconnect from Desire

The difference between MGMT and School of Seven Bells' respective second albums is simple. MGMT tried to claim cool points they did not deserve by naming a song after Brian Eno. Meanwhile, School of Seven Bells named their sophomore effort after one of Eno's famed Oblique Strategies cards, an I Ching-like way to introduce chance into the recording process. In other words, guitarist/producer Benjamin Curtis and singer/lyricists Alejandra and Claudia Deheza show a deeper, more creative understanding of Eno's artistic process. (MGMT can't even pronounce the poor guy's name correctly: accent's on the first syllable, lads.) Eno aside, however, it's clear that the trio's musical heart still resides in the UK indie scene circa 1989, when ethereal harmonies and heavily treated guitar washes blended with electronic dance beats to create an intoxicating, dreamy new form of pop. But where their debut Alpinisms got the sound precisely right, its songs were a bit short on memorable hooks. Disconnect From Desire redresses that imbalance by both emphasizing the bottom end (the entire album will sound great on the dancefloor) and placing the Deheza twins' entwined voices front and center in the mix. Far punchier without losing Alpinisms' delicate beauty, Disconnect From Desire stands proudly next to its influences.