School of Seven Bells

Ben Curtis fled Secret Machines in 2007 to focus on School of Seven Bells, an electronics-enhanced dream pop group formed with twin sister vocalists Claudia and Alejandra Deheza (also of On!Air!Library!). They debuted in 2007 on Sonic Cathedral with the 7" recording My Cabal, which featured a remix on the B-side from Robin Guthrie — Guthrie's Cocteau Twins, as well as several of the artists the Cocteaus inspired, from My Bloody Valentine to Medicine, as well as Curve, being apparent touchstones. Two other releases were out before the end of the year: the Face to Face on High Places 7" (Radium) and The Class of 73 Bells (Warp), a four-track Prefuse 73 EP featuring the group's input. The group's activities the following year included Silent Grips, a 7" released on Suicide Squeeze, and that October's Alpinisms, released on Ghostly International. They released the bigger-sounding Disconnect from Desire in July 2010 through Ghostly and Vagrant. Claudia left the group three months later, and by the end of the following February, Ghostory — the third School of Seven Bells album — was out on Ghostly/Vagrant. Claudia has also recorded an album with Prefuse 73/Scott Herren, Singular (2006), as A Cloud Mireya.