''Alpinisms'' is the debut studio album by American band

School of Seven Bells School of Seven Bells (often stylized as SVIIB) was an American indie rock band from New York City, formed in 2007. It originally consisted of Alejandra Deheza (vocals, guitar), her sister Claudia Deheza (keyboards, vocals) and Benjamin Curtis ...

. It was originally released on

Ghostly International Ghostly International is an American independent record label founded in 1999 by Samuel Valenti IV and currently headquartered in Brooklyn, New York City with team in Los Angeles, and London. Artists include Matthew Dear, Dabrye (a.k.a. Tadd Mu ...

on October 28, 2008, and re-released on

Vagrant Records Vagrant Records is an American record label based in California. It was founded in 1995 by Rich Egan and Jon Cohen. The label focuses on rock music, rock, but features artists in a variety of other genres including folk music, folk, soul music, so ...

on July 14, 2009. The deluxe edition with bonus tracks was released on October 13, 2009. The album peaked at number 17 on the

UK Independent Albums Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the r ...

Background

In 2004, Alejandra Deheza and her twin sister Claudia (both of On!Air!Library!) met Benjamin Curtis (of

Secret Machines Secret Machines are an American alternative rock band, originally from Dallas, Texas, United States, before moving to New York City. The original lineup consisted of two brothers, Brandon (vocals, bass guitar and keyboards) and Benjamin Curtis ...

) when they were on tour with

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

. In 2007, they formed School of Seven Bells and started making music together. The group's debut studio album, whose working title was ''Wired for Light'', was officially titled ''Alpinisms''.

Critical reception

Eric Harvey of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' said, "Throughout ''Alpinisms'', the group finds a perfect middle ground between the indie realms of tribal and choral, layering electronic flourishes without letting them overwhelm the arrangements." M. R. Newmark of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' commented that "School of Seven Bells hit the sweet spot with enough frequency to make ''Alpinisms'' worthwhile, and though not every experiment works, it should give those who have been following these musicians around some satisfaction to realize that this is the sort of album they've been waiting so long to create." Lukas Suveg of ''

Tiny Mix Tapes ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, ...

'' stated, "Although this final version could have featured more diverse song selections, ''Alpinisms'' is an undoubtedly singular album, setting the bar quite high for this burgeoning trio."

Accolades

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

* Benjamin Curtis – music, recording, mixing * Alejandra Deheza – music, recording, mixing * Claudia Deheza – music, recording, mixing Additional musicians * Simone Pace – drums (8) * Niki Randa – vocals (10) Technical personnel * Geoff Sanoff – recording (8) * Joe Lambert – mastering * Bryan Collins – cover design

Charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2008 debut albums School of Seven Bells albums Ghostly International albums Vagrant Records albums Full Time Hobby albums