Novella - Land

Auf der Suche nach dem sehr guten Shoegaze-Album 2015 (II)

Möglicherweise läuft man sich häufiger über den Weg, denn nichts nur die Cheatahs leben in Londonern, sondern auch die Mitglieder des Quintetts Novella: Hollie Warren (Gitarre, Gesang), Sophy Hollington (Gitarre, Gesang), Suki Sou (Bass), Iain Laws (Schlagzeug) und Isabel Spurgeon (Keyboards, Gesang). Gemeinsam waren beide Bands auch gerade auf England-Tour.

Hollie, Sophie und Suki lernten sich 2010 über gemeinsame Freunde kennen und ihr gemeinsames Interesse an der Gegenkultur der 60er Jahre und eher ungewöhnlicher Bands wie Black Sabbath, The Brian Jonestown Massacre und Pale Saints führte zur Gründung der Band, die Iain als einziger Mann (2011) und Isabel (2014) komplettierten. Novella stehen bei Sinderlyn unter Vertrag und haben dort dieses Jahr ihr Debütalbum "Land" veröffentlicht, auf CD, LP und Kassette, wie sich das gehört.

Auf den 10 Titeln von "Land" orientieren sich Novella an Psychedelic- und Krautrock, stürzen sich auf den synthetischen Art Pop von Stereolab und kombinieren ihn mit an Ride oder Lush erinnernden Shoegaze.

Metacritic listet "Land" leider bisher nicht, daher hier die 8-Punkte-Kritik von Drowned In Sound:

Recorded under the combined tutelage of Jonas Verijnen – whose previous credits include Moon Duo and Ballet School – and The Horrors' Joshua Hayward, Land ably demonstrates the band's progressive nature across its ten pieces. Whereas many of their peers have fallen into a trap of regression and predictability, Novella have clearly grasped the mettle to boldly craft a record that's both elementary and experimental in format and structure.

While The Horrors connection doesn't end there - the recently added keyboard player's brother Joe happens to be their drummer - it would be incredulous to suggest Land is firmly indebted to them or any other band for that matter. Sure, valid comparisons can be levelled in places. For example, the dense textures on 'Something Must Change' rival Loop in their Fade Out phase, while Warren and Hollington's vocal interchanges recall Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson of Lush at their most effervescent, particularly on the pensive 'Sentences' and reflective 'Again You Try Your Luck'.

What's most interesting about Land is how Novella's development can be traced through the inclusion of three tracks from Murmurs. The lead song off that EP 'Blue Swallow' (then titled 'Blue Swallows') takes on an altogether new persona here. Opening with a fractured drumbeat that echoes the one used by The Beatles on 'Tomorrow Never Knows', it goes on to encounter a series of twists and turns over the next five minutes, rendering it Novella's most ambitious creation to date. Likewise 'Phrases', formerly an instrumental on the 2013 EP. Mesmeric and dreamy in parts, galloping in others. "I can't do the things I used to..." declares Warren as poignancy fills the air. Album opener 'Follow' also gets a makeover here. Tucked away as the third track on Murmurs a year-and-a-half ago, it finds itself revitalised as the driving force and guiding light into Land's unchartered waters. Both pulsating in delivery and haunting in execution, it sets the scene incisively for the rest of the album.

Of course there will be murmurs (pardon the pun) that Novella may have missed the boat. That Land's gestation period could have been realised a tad earlier. But then that could also work in the band's favour, as rather than get trampled among the umpteen psych rock releases this past year, they've delivered a record that stands alone and away from the crowd. Only time will tell what the next instalment holds, but for now Land is a fitting document for the first chapter of Novella's fascinating evolution.

So klingt "Land Gone":