School of Seven Bells – Disconnect From Desire

School of Seven Bells’ debut LP was a masterclass in pop mysticism. Glazed with complex harmonies and effects-sodden chords – courtesy of Secret Machines alumni Ben Curtis – Alpinisms propelled the New York trio into the upper echelons of the dream pop genre. It’s of no surprise, then, to find album number two, Disconnect From Desire, maintaining such ethereal yearnings. The dense, watertight production and elegant breeze of opening number Windstorm exudes the air of a band with its foot on neutral. But behind this gauzy front-door lies a hallway of synth that touches on a certain 1980s dance floor aesthetic and, in less clever moments, Ray of Light-era Madonna. At times it’s a curveball too far – Camarilla’s iodine Kraftwerkism is close to criminal. But when they hit the button, as they do during the transient Heart Is Strange, Disconnect From Desire becomes the work of an act pitching a better future. [Billy Hamilton]