face to face on high places

Take a listen.

Until a few days ago, this was the only version of “Face To Face On High Places” by School Of Seven Bells I knew of.  When their 2008 album “Alpinisms” came out, it immediately grabbed my ears, earning a spot on my best albums of 2008 list.  The record had a bunch of standout songs, including the popular singles “Conjurr”, “Chain” and “Half Asleep” but now looking back (and in my opinion), “Face To Face On High Places” stands higher than the rest.

Start with a driving eastern-influenced sampled beat, add the heavenly vocals of Alejandra and Claudia Deheza and have the song build with drones, walls of atmospherics and backing harmonies.  Ever see that guy on the subway with his headphones on, shaking his head to the beat with his eyes closed?  If its me, this is the song I’ve got on.

Buy the song here.

[itunes link=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/face-to-face-on-high-places/id334295968?i=334295986&uo=4″ title=”Face To Face On High Places by School Of Seven Bells”]

Like I mentioned above, I had no idea that this version of the song is actually reworked from the version that appeared on an earlier EP with the same name.  The original features a crazier beat and feels a little less full from the album version.  It’s also almost a 9 minute song with a huge jam tacked on to the end.  Worth many listens, but I still like my version better.