SEVEN IN SEVEN music
Welcome to Seven in Seven, where each Thursday in this space we typically take a look at shows coming to the region over the next week. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, though, venue doors have shuttered, and no concerts are taking place. That doesn’t mean the music stops, and new releases are coming out weekly from artists you know and love and some waiting to be discovered. Whether your musical tastes are rock and roll, jazz, heavy metal, R&B, singer-songwriter or indie, there’ll always be something to check out on the docket each Friday. Here are seven of the best hitting shelves and streaming services May 8:
1 The Sinclairs — “Sparkle”
The Sinclairs are a new duo composed of some familiar faces: founding member Rat Scabies, maniacal punk rock drum whirlwind of The Damned, and Billy Shinbone — aka Jesse Budd — from cult UK psychedelic honky tonk act Flipron, and lately the guitar slinger with The Specials’ legend Neville Staple. “Sparkle” is the entirely instrumental debut from the pair, a cocktail of snaking spaghetti western guitar melodies, freestyle improvised electronica and explosive punk drumming. Call it easy listening made difficult.
2 Holy Esque — “CPH”
Scotland’s Holy Esque have been floating below the radar here in the States but are ripe for discovery on the four-track EP “CPH,” which sees them cleaning out the closet of some rarities recorded in 2014. Jittery guitars on the single “Reverence Falls” see them holding onto that Joy Division comparison, but with a much happier sheen, while closer “Ladybird Love” is downright bouncy. In the end, “CPH” is a nice appetizer to hold fans over until the band returns with its third full-length effort, slated for release sometime next year.
3 Choir Boy — “Gathering Swans”
“Choir Boy,” initially intended as an insult, was what the kids called Adam Klopp in his early teens when he fronted bands in Cleveland. The label seemed fair and fitting in a way, given Klopp’s religious upbringing and angelic voice. The joke is on those making fun, as the now Salt Lake Citybased singer-songwriter is making a living on those very talents. The new Choir Boy LP, “Gathering Swans,” is full of heartbreak and gently steeped in pop nostalgia, seeing the band push its sound further while tenderly romancing the unsuspected. Klopp delivers transcendent vocal performances that deliver honesty in every emotion.
4 Hailee Steinfeld — “Half Written Story”
“Half Written Story” is part one of a two-part project from Academy Awardnominated actress and multi-platinum recording star Hailee Steinfeld. The five-track EP contains the singles “I Love You’s” and “Wrong Direction,” both of which were released earlier this year. It’s an addition to a slowly growing discography that sees the 23-yearold becoming a bona fide double threat, succeeding in film and music concurrently. Steinfeld’s heartfelt songs stray far outside the boundaries of typical teen pop, engaging on many different levels. The second part of the EP is tentatively scheduled for this summer.
5 Sangre — “Mas Fuerte Que La Muerte”
Los Angeles metal warriors Sangre return with the introspective “Mas Fuerte Que La Muerte,” which translates to “Stronger Than Death.” Having found themselves in a transitional period with shifts in the band’s longtime lineup leading up to recording, it seemed that their future was in a serious state of flux. The group rose above it, delivering an LP with varied metallic sub-genre influences that shine through the album with songs that range from heavy yet melodic to a full-on death/ thrash assault.
6 ZEBEDEE — “Fancy Seeing You Here”
Talk about no borders. Originally from Australia and now Brooklyn-based, psych-rockers ZEBEDEE recorded their newest EP, “Fancy Seeing You Here,” everywhere from their New York home base to Mexico City. Frontman Zebedee Row might be a familiar face from his acting career, especially from his role as Robert Plant in HBO’s series “Vinyl.” Musically, he’s always been a storyteller. His songs contain strange characters and are characters themselves, each one of them individuals that exude their very own beauty and faults. Melding droning synths and crunchy guitars along with that narrative, it all comes together in a unique and compelling way.
7 BEAR — “Propaganda”
Fans of hardcore bands in the ’90s will recognize the spirit invoked by progressive metal/hardcore unit BEAR. There’s lots of raw energy, uncompromising delivery and relentlessly violent performances. The Belgian outfit celebrates its first decade together with “Propaganda,” an album distinctly against propaganda, and the manipulative character of communication and product placement that we face each time we turn on the television, walk through the aisles of a supermarket or tune in to Spotify without a paid subscription. It’s a subversive way to attack the subversive nature of disinformation, all with a heavy-metal bent.