SEVEN IN SEVEN
Welcome to Seven in Seven, where each week we would typically take a look at concerts coming to the region. With most shows on hold due to the pandemic, here’s a look at seven of the best albums being released Aug. 6:
1 Liars — “The Apple Drop” Angus Andrews, under the moniker Liars, drops “The Apple Drop” LP this week, which follows 2017’s “TFCF” and 2018’s “Titles With the Word Fountain,” both distinctly solo affairs. But for Liars’ 10th album, he chose to expand and embrace collaboration. The new album finds him working with avant-garde jazz drummer Laurence Pike, multiinstrumentalist Cameron
Deyell and lyricist Mary Pearson Andrew. This mixing of raw, organic, live instrumentation in the studio, along with Angus’ solo tinkering at the computer, results in an album that blurs boundaries between the archetypal band structure and experimental electronics.
2 The Steoples — “Wide Through the Eyes of No One” The Steoples is the avant-soul duo of GB and Yeofi, who have been friends for over 15 years and combine their varying musical worlds under the band name. Originally from rural England, Yeofi was surrounded by his father’s diverse collection of classical to soul music from a young age. With David Bowie as his first real musical love, he quickly developed a passion for punk rock and played with several UK-based bands before moving to Los Angeles. Gifted & Blessed and Frankie Reyes are just some of the aliases GB has used to release his music. The Steoples’ second album, “Wide Through the Eyes of No One,” draws on a range of sounds: Latin rhythms, ’80s soul, somber folk and R&B.
3 Andrea von Kampen — “That Spell” Andrea von Kampen burst onto the national stage via NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest, which offered an opportunity for unsigned talent to win a spot on the famed music discovery series. Though she didn’t ultimately land the prize, she was named as one of the top 10 entries, and in the process netted a whole new fanbase. Since then, she’s released EPs, singles, a self-released debut LP and found great success with film and television placements due to her intimate and cinematic music. The Nebraska-raised singer/songwriter is a formidable talent with her deeply felt folk-indebted sound and inquisitive, empathetic lyrics, all in fine form on her latest full length, “That Spell.”
4 Zachary Knowles — “tendency to be a loner” The debut full-length album from rising artist and tender pop creator Zachary Knowles, “tendency to be a loner” is one of the highlights of the year. The singer/ songwriter has spent his entire life leading up to this moment. Hailing from Magnolia, Texas, Knowles was bit by the musical bug at an early age, when his parents gifted him a light-up keyboard in first grade. In his freshman year of college, he set a goal to release something properly and ended up with a series of well-received singles that led to a full EP of music touching on influences ranging from John Mayer to Post Malone and, most predominantly, Justin Bieber. Most recently, he released his “Magnolia” EP, a collection of songs that take direct inspiration from his small-town upbringing, young love and the lessons that come with growing up.
5 John Moods — “So Nice” After many years of playing in the band Fenster, Jonathan Jarzyna adopted the handle John Moods, releasing his debut full-length, “The Essential John Moods,” in 2018. Now, having completed his first solo tours, he returns with “So Nice,” the companion to “So Sweet,” which came out earlier this year. This combo now culminates in one vinyl LP, “So Sweet So Nice.” If “The Essential John Moods” was the soundtrack to a summer backpacking trip, its follow-up has the feel of a triumphant homecoming. Where the previous album traded in dreamy displacement, “So Sweet So Nice” is serenely centered, springy grooves transforming musings on mortality into vibrant celebrations.
6 Empty Streets — “Age of Regret” Empty Streets is the latest musical endeavor from longtime musician-turned-award-winning adult film star Aaron Thompson (aka Small Hands). He’s back to his roots with “Age of Regret,” a keyboard-based modern darkwave project reminiscent of the best of late ’80s/ early ’90s dark synth-pop. It turns out to be a musical catharsis for Thompson, confronting many of his demons and struggles, from growing up the son of a preacher, to living with Tourette’s and mental health issues and the isolation and pressure that comes with being an adult film actor, all the while on a bitter quest to find beauty and redemption.