nova - midnight sun

Nova

Midnight Sun
self-released; 2013

3.6 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Nova is a band that formed in 2009 and earlier this year they released their debut album called Midnight Sun. The band comprised of Alex Salazar, Emmanuel Lorenzo, and Ralgy Cepeda blend funk and rock with a low-fi aesthetic that sounds somewhere between a combination of Acid Mothers Temple, Ty Segall Band and The Mars Volta.

The album contains six songs, which are instrumentally based compositions as opposed to having the vocals drive the music. There is a fair amount of strong vocal melodies throughout the album but the success of the songs doesn't necessarily rely on them. Instead the vocals are strategically placed within time to create structures that are unique and against the commercial grain. 

The album starts with a short sort of introduction called “Midnight Sun.”  It last a little over a minute and consists of a memorable vocal melody backed by a single guitar. Without much warning the band goes into a frantic jam session on “Plexus Complex” displaying their chemistry. It contains a live low-fi aesthetic that I wished was a bit more polished at points. The third song “Xibalbia” surpasses the funk/rock mesh of the previous song “Plexus Complex” and delivers convincing moments of post-rock, experimentation and funk. Effects manipulate their guitars and vocals are sparse but effective.


“Fissure” is a nine-minute success that feels like the most structured song in a good way. Cascading guitar lines and a strong vocal presence is heard throughout. The last song on the album entitled “Saturnia” feels the most relaxed and laid back out of the bunch. It’s a spacious song that was a bold choice for a closer.

Nova has a couple of solid tunes that deviate from typical verse - chorus - verse structure and is ultimately the most appealing aspect of the band.

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