Song of the Day: School of Seven Bells - Iamundernodisguise

Guillermo Herren

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Every Friday, the Song of the Day Podcast spotlights local musicians. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Afternoon Show host Kevin Cole, is “Iamundernodisguise” by School of Seven Bells from their 2008 album Alpinism on Ghostly International.

For a band with a name such as School of Seven Bells and supported by two of the most angelic voices you have yet to hear come out of 2008′s musical offerings, the last thing one would think of is a legendary school known for pickpocket training and trickery. Yet that is exactly where twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza and ex-Secret Machinist Benjamin Curtis clipped their band name from. The three met while their former bands -- On!Air!Library! and Secret Machines, both projects were deeply rooted in New York -- were opening for Interpol. Apparently, their collective interests and musical chemistry was too much to ignore. Curtis left the Machines in early 2007 to focus his energy toward SVIIB. Their aspiring debut album, Alpinisms, is a layered, twisting, warm mess with trickling sounds and repetitive drum beats threaded through each intricate electronic melody. Above it all hovers the Deheza twins’ ethereal and often chant-like vocals, creating a totally new sound for the trio beyond their earlier post-rock tendencies.

Currently, SVIIB is touring with M83 and will perform at Neumo’s on November 25. That same day, they will be live on the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole at 2PM. After heading down the West Coast, SVIIB will be back home in New York to play the Mercury Lounge on December 15. Find out more on their MySpace page. For now, here’s a clip of the band rehearsing before their current tour: