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. 12:
Show of the week 1 Half Waif — Johnny Brenda’s — Nov. 13
Rising out of her time in the band Pinegrove, Nandi Rose — aka Half Waif — is touring in support of her latest round of singer-songwriter brilliance, “Mythopoetics.” It’s nothing if not a testament to her talent as someone who knows how to embrace her most basic emotions, and then some, making for some heartwrenching elements that will leave even the most jaded soul spilling their tears on the floor.
New releases 2 Nirvana — “Nevermind” (30th Anniversary)
It’s looking like we’re at the point where, in increments of five years, we’re going to get an anniversary edition of “Nevermind,” the gamechanging 1991Nirvana release that put grunge at the forefront of the musical landscape. Several multiformat reissues celebrate the 30th anniversary, with a total of 94 audio and video tracks — 70 previously unreleased — made available across configurations ranging from Super Deluxe Editions to standard digital/ CD and single disc vinyl with bonus 7-inch. There are also four complete live shows that have been remastered. In all formats, “Nevermind” is newly remastered from the original half-inch stereo analog tapes to high-resolution
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Damon Albarn — “The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows”
“The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows” is a result of Blur frontman Damon Albarn falling in love with his adopted home country of Iceland. Albarn originally intended it as an orchestral piece inspired by the landscapes of Iceland, but 2020 saw him return to the music in lockdown and develop the work to 11 tracks that further explore themes of fragility, loss, emergence and rebirth. The result is a panoramic collection of songs with Albarn as storyteller. Ambiance included, it’s pretty transcendent.
Lionlimb — “Spiral Groove”
“Spiral Groove” delivers Lionlimb singer-songwriter Stewart Bronaugh at the height of his artistic powers both visually and sonically. This new LP is studded with stories of mortality, the
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challenges of addiction and sobriety and the romance of a lifetime. Recovering from a seizure, Bronaugh’s sudden awareness of the limits of his own body was a psychedelic experience that shifted his perspective wildly. No longer bulletproof, he splits himself wide open, encapsulating all of our existential questions into tidy love songs. You’ll find pianos, string quartets, slide guitar, buzzing synth lines and plenty of room to breathe.
5 Allen Stone — “APART”
Since making his full-length debut in 2010, Allen Stone has built a devoted following on the strength of his deeply reflective yet wide-eyed and radiant form of soul music. On his new album, “APART,” the Washington-based singersongwriter reimagines some of his most beloved songs to date, stripping each lavishly arranged track back to the very essence of its creation. Not only an ideal showcase for his powerfully emotive voice, the result is a testament to the magic within Stone’s artistry: a profound understanding of music’s potential to imprint upon our lives, and a commitment to creating the kind of songs that endlessly impart wisdom and comfort and undeniable joy.
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Dave Gahan & Soulsavers — “Imposter” Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan, along with the endlessly brilliant Soulsavers, takes listeners on a personal journey of 12 meticulously chosen, reimagined songs from across genres and time periods, including selections from Neil Young, Bob Dylan, PJ Harvey, Charlie Chaplin, Cat Power
and Mark Lanegan, among others. One would be remiss to refer to “Imposter” as a covers album. Rather, it’s a story of songs that he listened to, studied, absorbed and gave a new life. Covers albums are a dime a dozen these days —this one stands out from the rest.
7 Fulu Miziki — “Ngbaka” EP
Fulu Miziki roughly translates as “music from the garbage,” which in a literal sense is an accurate description of the thrillingly chaotic Afro-Futurist collective: the instruments they design, build and play are masterclasses in recycling upwards. From guembris built out of computer casing to jerry-can drum-kits, keyboard inventions from wood, springs and aluminum pipes and old flip-flops used as pads by plastic tubewielding percussion players, the Democratic Republic of Congo-formed group’s ethos lies in the respect of nature, the celebration of its gifts and the importance of its preservation through environmentalism.