The departure of a band member can usually be guaranteed to throw fanbases into consternation. It implies that all is not well, that there might be consequences ahead for their sound. This is especially the case if the band's aesthetic is so finely honed and so carefully balanced that they sound as though the slightest alteration could make their entire edifice fold into nothing. For instance, when The xx's guitarist, Baria Qureshi, departed just a few months after the release of their debut album, it was feared that the sparse, delicately crafted atmosphere that her erstwhile band traded upon would be permanently ruptured. These concerns were partially allayed when The xx proved able to recreate the same magic live as a trio. Nonetheless, three years on, their second album is yet to appear.
New York's School of Seven Bells fall squarely into the same category. The erstwhile trio was itself formed by musicians abandoning projects they were already involved with and falling in together instead: guitarist Benjamin Curtis left the space-rock group Secret Machines to hook up with twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza, who themselves departed the post-rock outfit On!Air!Library. The fruits of their decision to elope together more than justified it. School of Seven Bells' 2008 debut album, Alpinisms, combined neo-shoegaze textures and engrossing percussion with ethereal ring chants and mantras; its 2010 follow-up, Disconnect From Desire, found them expanding their sound, with Curtis' walls of guitar and the twins' soaring harmonies sweeping the listener upwards and outwards, like standing at the top of a mountain and gazing up into the wind.
On both, the success of the band's music seemed to be based on an intuitive mutual understanding as much as their formidable musical prowess. The harmonies and rounds sung by the Deheza twins were otherworldly in their perfect precision, from the eerily hypnotic rising and falling "Iamundernodisguise" to the simultaneous melodic explosions in different directions on Windstorm. The importance of this dual vocal seemed so integral to their music that when Claudia Deheza announced her departure in late 2010 - for "personal reasons" - one had to wonder whether something irreplaceable had been lost.
Ghostory's opening two cuts sound like consolidation, with the pair working out how to be School of Seven Bells as a duo: lead single The Night is a perfectly adequate and entirely typical distillation of everything their fans have come to expect and Love Play is a gorgeously gauzy slow burn, executed with great care.
It's only three tracks in that the album really hits its stride: Lafaye explodes in a pounding house beat and with harmonies that reach up towards the sun. It's indicative of how School of Seven Bells have continued to expand in all directions on their third album that the production is even more polished than before: the New Orderisms in both Curtis' bass guitar sounds and the increased interest in dance structures and beats are more evident than ever. The resultant songs are as dazzlingly bright as music can get.
At several points, the sheer physicality of the music leaves the listener gasping for breath. White Wind is an immersive, elemental rush that swerves between chord changes before pulling the safety net of the instrumentation away in its closing seconds. "This restlessness has always been," intones Alejandra, half catharsis and half incantation, suddenly suspended in thin air. The same trick is pulled on an even grander scale on the eight-minute closer When You Sing, while on Low Times the band indulge in an unexpected house break, complete with a lush electronic synth hanging in space, before essaying a recriminatory climax with a weightless fury.
In the lead-up to Ghostory's release, the duo have downplayed Claudia's involvement in the creative process. In an interview with Spinner.com, Curtis said, "There's no disrespect to Claudia at all, but as far as writing and ... hatching our musical plans, it's really been Alley and I's thing since the beginning."
The duo are currently touring with a backing vocalist to handle harmonies, as well as a new live drummer; and if there isn't the same uncanny accuracy in the way the two voices interplay, Alejandra has been growing into her role as the band's frontwoman. At their show last week at London's Relentless Garage, she seized control of the stage and the spotlight with an authority that hadn't been evident before.
The sound versus songcraft binary has always been a reductive one with School of Seven Bells, but there has been a definite tilt in the balance of the two. Previously, the pure swoop of the Deheza twins' harmonies would often have the effect of covering up the song they were actually singing. Rather than being vehicles for words, they acted as abstract textures in much the same way as Curtis' walls of guitars. The initial visceral impact was primarily sonic, with the specific emotional impact of the band's songs only sneaking in later.
Both live and on Ghostory, the new line-up seems to have been a catalyst for Alejandra Deheza: for the first time her narratives and words seem to take precedence. As on previous projects, the songs on Ghostory are linked by a unifying concept: the part-autobiographical tale of a girl named Lafaye and the ghosts that surround her. Indeed, the importance of memory, and words unspoken, are integral to Ghostory's emotional pull: as the portmanteau of the title implies, the various characters who emerge are a means of piecing together a personal history. (The concept has brought some left-field comparisons to pop-country singer-songwriter Taylor Swift's Speak Now, on which each song is, according to her, "made up of words I didn't say when the moment was right in front of me" - but the purpose of the exercise, it turns out, is exploration of the self rather than other people.)
Ghostory is an emotional, sonic roller-coaster on which Alejandra picks over unfinished business. Scavenger is more bluntly angry than any School of Seven Bells song has ever been, and while it's hard to imagine the serene Alejandra ever really spitting out a line, there's a thrillingly jarring note of anger as she sings, "You only take, cuz you're a coward." Elsewhere, Show Me Love appears to be a reflection on the same situation from a third-party perspective: "He only takes from you what he can break," she whispers, before delivering the tender kicker: "I'd never take from you ... babe." Throughout, the sense of closure that comes with exorcising ghosts in song is a perfect fit for the sense of expansion in the sound: the neatness of it all makes the combination seem intuitive and natural. On Ghostory, School of Seven Bells close one chapter to open a brand new one that has even more possibilities.
Alex Macpherson is a regular contributor to The Review.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 445bhp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh474,600
On Sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Full list of Emmy 2020 nominations
LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Ramy Youssef, Ramy
LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
OUTSTANDING VARIETY/TALK SERIES
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, The Morning Show
Brian Cox, Succession
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession
LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Zendaya, Euphoria
OUTSTANDING REALITY/COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Masked Singer
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice
LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True
LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Regina King, Watchmen
Octavia Spencer, Self Made
Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere
OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES
Little Fires Everywhere
Mrs. America
Unbelievable
Unorthodox
Watchmen
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dead to Me
The Good Place
Insecure
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Schitt’s Creek
What We Do In The Shadows
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHigh%20fever%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIntense%20pain%20behind%20your%20eyes%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESevere%20headache%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENausea%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EVomiting%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESwollen%20glands%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERash%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIf%20symptoms%20occur%2C%20they%20usually%20last%20for%20two-seven%20days%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
