Indieobit: Benjamin Curtis

As if the terrible loss of Benjamin Curtis, at just 35, wasn't enough, insult was added to pain when someone saw fit to leak the news of his death:

Last night, Dec. 29th 2013, we lost our friend and brother Benjamin Curtis to his fight against cancer.

While we had hoped to delay this announcement until a more suitable time when his friends and family could feel better prepared and settled to greet any correspondences from folks attempting to reach out, unfortunately the news has prematurely leaked. So we felt it would be appropriate to at least offer an official acknowledgement from us, in light of all the fans who loved and supported Benjamin and his music.

We kindly ask that his immediate family, friends & bandmates' privacy be respected during this time, and that instead, any inquires, well wishes, or notes-of-consolation be sent through School of Seven Bells’ management, where it can be shared with them at the suitable time. They can be sent to a special e-mail address here: sviib@wizkidmanagement.com

If relevant, further information will be made available through the suitable channels in the near future.

We can’t thank all of you who supported him and his music through the years enough. All of you who attended or participated in the various benefits in and around New York City over the past year since his diagnosis, and of course those who contributed and gave generously to help support him throughout that journey. You made it possible for all of us, and for him, to see how truly loved he was and how many lives he had touched through his music by your gestures. We will all miss this incredibly talented and rare person every day, but we are fortunate enough that he shared with us his music, and that is something that we can keep forever.

Curtis had been a founder member of Secret Machines before moving on to form School Of Seven Bells; and School Of Seven Bells were great:

A heartbreaking note to end the year upon.

Embed and breakfast man: School Of Seven Bells

Yes, yes, Jon Stewart might have had Barack Obama on last night - but Fallon had School Of Seven Bells:


[BuySchool Of Seven Bells - Disconnect From Desire]
[via The Audio Perv]

Downloadable: School Of Seven Bells

So, then, here's some of that giving-away mp3 action:

Downloadable: School Of Seven Bells

School Of Seven Bells are about to throw out a buffed-up version of Alpinisms - with b-sides and stuff to pad it out. In a bid to tempt you to buy an album you might already own, they're offering a free iamundernodisguise alternate version mp3. To persuade you there's enough new worth having, I guess.

Download: School of Seven Bells

Not, of course, the first blog to have brought you this over the weekend, but it's worth sharing just in case you've missed it: School Of Seven Bells - Ben Secret Machines, Alley On! Air! Library! and Claudia On! Air! Library!. Of course the two women have the same surname; they're twins.

This track is called Connjur and Alpinisms is the album it's leading off.

Pieces come off Machines

Secret Machines have split a little: Benjamin Curtis has quit the band, says their messageboard:

I am writing to make a couple of announcements. First of all I want to let everybody know that The Secret Machines have begun work on our third album. We expect to begin recording sometime in the beginning of May. Unfortunately, I also must share that after 7 and 1/2 years of playing music together Benjamin has decided to no longer be a part of the band. It is a sad day but also an exciting one as he prepares to focus full time on his new creative venture, School of Seven Bells. He has told me that he expects to be finished with a new record very soon as well as there being plans in the works to play some shows here in New York debuting the band. Of course Josh and I wish him all the best.

No word yet on if they'll replace him, or just hire in some cheap labour to plug the gaps. We're sending off a demo tape of us playing the mouth organ just in case.