No secret, Benjamin Curtis has pushed on to dreamier pastures with his excellent new project School Of Seven Bells. Choosing to make music with the Deheza twins instead of his own brother, Brandon, has been a good decision for his art, although we're left to assess how its effected Secret Machines, who continue manufacturing their psych/prog/rock/whathaveyou with the other Curtis, Ben Garza and replacement guitarist Phil Karnats on the recently released Secret Machines LP. "Atomic Heels" is the collection's first single, now affixed to a neon-hued, flickering video, and at least for this dark-hearted pop burst, things seem alright. It starts with a gothic stomp, loses some steam in the early verses, but eventually builds into a fully realized rocker with a lofty hook, British Invasion backing vocals, and Karnats finding a home in the mesh with pinging, textural guitar lines. When all the parts congeal, it earns its "Atomic" feel. - Source

There's no other way to put it, so we are just going for it. It's been a long-ass time since we have heard noise from the Secret Machines camp. The band recently freed themselves from their major label obligations, and has teamed up with World's Fair Label Group to self-release - Source

With their third full-length still forthcoming but no one revealing much else about it, Secret Machines will make the wait for the Ten Silver Drops follow-up just a little bit easier with a sizable summer North American tour. - Source

Enjoy last week's take on 'The Fire Is Waiting' below. A new LP is expected by mid-summer. - Source

On NPR website, there is a weekly show called All Songs Considered and they have archived several full concerts from artists like Death Cab For Cutie, Secret Machines, My Morning Jacket, White Stripes, Sigur Ros, Interpol and more. I'm listening to the Secret Machines right now and it's stunning. GO NPR!!