SEVEN IN SEVEN
Welcome to Seven in Seven, where each week we typically take a look at shows coming to the region over the next week. And while venue doors are slowly opening again, due to the current pandemic they aren’t quite there yet. 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. Each week we’ll be looking at some of the best hitting shelves and streaming services and a can’t miss show in the region.
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. Here’s what’s on the docket for the week of Nov. 5:
Show of the week 1 Alkaline Trio + Bad Religion — The Met — Nov. 7
It’s hard to find a better punk rock show than when Bad Religion is on the bill. Seriously, you’ve got frontman Greg Graffin pointing at things so much that there’s an Instagram account dedicated to it, as well as barn burners “American Jesus,” “Infected” and “21st Century Digital Boy.” Alkaline Trio has a hill to climb. That’s all we’re saying.
New releases 2 The Steel Wheels — “Everyone a Song, Vol. 2”
The Steel Wheels open another treasure chest of special songs inspired by their fans with “Everyone a Song, Vol. 2.” Each song on the record was commissioned for a specific relationship or
event — a birth, a wedding, a memory of home — yet the emotions evoked are universal. Building on the body of work begun with Vol. 1, the nine songs of Vol. 2also have an identity of their own, with themes that reflect the zeitgeist of a country dealing with tragedy and unsettling change. Not only is it worth investing in this new chapter, but it should also lead listeners to seek out the old.
3
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats — “The Future”
Their new album “The Future” caps off a run of career milestones for Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, including a debut on “Saturday Night Live,” an appearance on “CMT Crossroads” with country singer/songwriter Margo Price and so much more. For the recording, Rateliff and the band escaped to his new Colorado studio to write an album’s worth of songs, shedding light on their unique observations and songwriting reflecting on our current times. While recognizable, the new work has evolved and pushes the group’s songs to a new level. 4
Aimee Mann — “Queens of the Summer Hotel”
After several albums with ’Til Tuesday, Aimee Mann began her solo career
in 1993 with the album “Whatever” and made a name for herself through her independent success and the founding of her record label, SuperEgo Records. Along the way, she forged a powerful new sound driven by her distinctive singing style; stripped-down, folky, acoustic but also forceful and cerebral, exploring psychological themes with dark wit and an eye for the world’s ugliest power plays. That continues in spades on “Queens of the Summer Hotel,” another arresting album of folk explosion. Houndmouth — “Good for You” Houndmouth enfold entire
5
novels within their lyrics, and over “Good for You’s” 10tracks, a motley cast of characters race through scenes saturated with magic. From beauty queens and Cinderella’s limousine in “Cool Jam,” to vampires and parking lot lovers in “Ride or Die,” the group whimsically captures the ache of stagnant love affairs and the fleeting joys of aging with a surrealist flair. But atop “Good for You’s” melancholy motifs lies a wealth of dulcet melodies that waltz sweetly across beds of celestial organs and grungy guitar riffs. The songs sparkle, fade and sparkle again, mixing jaded wisdom with hopeful harmonies.
6 Hana Vu — “Public Storage”
After keeping a journal of her bedroom pop experiments on Bandcamp, including a low-key Willow Smith collaboration and covers of The Cure and Phil Collins, Los Angeles-based Hana Vu caught the ear of Gorilla vs. Bear’s Luminelle Recordings imprint, who eventually released two EPs. “Public Storage” builds on the sound of this earlier work, underscoring her strengths as a songwriter with a deeper sense of luster, sophistication and urgency.
7
Munya — “Voyage to Mars”
Filled with songs that feel beamed in from another world and suffused with an otherworldly light, “Voyage to Mars” was entirely recorded in Munya’s apartment during the pandemic. The longing to be elsewhere is palpable throughout the album, but not with a heavy or melancholic tone. It’s a sense of hope that animates her music. It isn’t cheap or sentimental, but a hardearned belief in the goodness of people, despite all things. In a world that seems darker by the day, a fierce optimism is the most powerful thing one can possess.