Nova Cascade – The Navigator
Nova Cascade – The Navigator – Album Review
“Can’t cauterize the wound.”
Technically, those are the first words you’ll hear on Nova Cascade’s new album, and some of the truest you’ll find. If you’ve been following along, you know that making this record was no easy task for the band…it began with the lineup you know, and sadly in the process, they lost their bandmate Eric to pancreatic cancer. The Navigator became a tribute album of sorts as a result…a testament to the legacy of their friend and art everlasting. You “can’t cauterize the wound” of course, but you can find a way to heal, to move forward, and pay homage to the past in the present by honoring the memory of those we’ve loved & lost. Through the art we create, memories live on forever – and Nova Cascade proves it.
So…I mean…they already know they’ve got themselves a great opening tune to start up The Navigator – “Sleeping Dogs” was officially recognized as the ‘track of the week’ on the Progressive-favorite’s Louder website. I’ll say this…it was an interesting choice to put out there as an advance single, but really, when it comes to anything Prog, anything goes. That’s the beauty of that style of music…creative freedom, the ability to color outside of the lines, the opportunity to go wherever the music might take you – there are essentially no rules, and you’ll find a tremendous amount of skill to guide bands like Nova Cascade. We don’t need to go searching on a deep dive to understand that the traditional flashy hooks you might expect to find in what the world collectively considers to be the sound of a single wouldn’t be something you’d find in “Sleeping Dogs,” or indeed Prog-based music overall. The definition changes largely with this particular style of music, and those that make it get the opportunity to choose their own adventure. “Sleeping Dogs” would be as good of a choice as any on this record could be in that regard, and since it was where the story technically begins on The Navigator at track one, why not start there? I look at it as an extra bold statement that most out there seem to be afraid to make…so many records tend to have their singles placed oh-so-carefully at tracks three or four, almost as if to say that’s where you should start listening! Nova Cascade is encouraging you to listen from track one, and personally I dig that. They put the choir they’ve arranged on display to start up the song, their atmospheric vibe starts soon after, and the violins you’ll hear are completely fantastic. It’s beautiful-yet-devastating, and invokes both your curiosity & fascination from the very first moments of The Navigator as “Sleeping Dogs” starts things up.
“Safe Haven” was among the sweetest adventures found in the earliest part of this album, this track really generates a noticeably beautiful and colorfully ambitious sound. Excellent work on the keys from Dave, exceptional flute performance from Charlie…I tell ya, “Safe Haven” sounds as welcoming and as inviting as its title would imply. It’s comforting, soothing, and genuinely serene…all things that I’d assume we’d all associate with the notion of feeling safe…it’s like Nova Cascade has wrapped us all up in a blanket to keep us warm from the cold. As they shift gears on their way towards the fourth minute, “Safe Haven” expands brilliantly, bursting open into a wonderfully expressive piece of music that hits the mark in all the right ways. The professionalism in this performance is nothing short of remarkable, which is actually saying quite a lot. Nova Cascade has always been great at what they do, and you can hear that throughout their entire catalog for sure, but it’s also tracks like “Safe Haven” that confirm their evolution in production – this is the kind of song where you can literally hear how much work they’ve put into what they do through the sparkling sound and seamlessly fluidity yielded in the results. The band is dialed right in on “Safe Haven” without a doubt…they’re all playing like a painting come to life, with vivid colors and sounds swirling into one larger concept that houses them all. I love how they all seem to get their individual moments and opportunities to stand out, which is somewhat important to the style of music they play overall – we all wanna hear those chops – but it’s those moments where they really come together on a unified front that show how special Nova Cascade truly is as a full band.
Personally, I really feel like you can hear the care they’ve put into this record and how precise it is as you listen to it. Songs like “A Walk Along The Canal” should be awe-inspiring to ya…from their superb attention to detail to the magnificent musicianship, tracks like this pretty much have it all in every way. There’s mystery, beauty, culture, and classical roots combined…”A Walk Along The Canal” feels like the kind of song that instantly expands your musical palette by proxy…as in, we become more rounded listeners and music enthusiasts simply by listening to it. Whether that’s the sound of Eric Bouillette on the violin, or Nino Chikviladze…honestly, I don’t know, and it could possibly be both of course – all I can tell ya at the moment is that the musicianship is mind-blowing and equally capable of melting your heart as you listen. Love the way the electric guitar responds to a lot of what we hear, which again, could also be Eric’s contributions to the record before he passed on, or perhaps Colin Powell taking the mantle – or both…but yeah…undeniably strong stuff. Nova Cascade is pretty famously thorough on the details and credits and whatnot – I’d imagine when The Navigator gets its official release that the liner notes will tell you all the things you wanna know. Or maybe they’ll simply play it more directly, and say it was all played by Nova Cascade, as one. In any event you get what I’m saying I’m sure – there’s exquisite stuff to be found all throughout “A Walk Along The Canal” that’ll have you amazed. It’s profoundly moving, and much can be said for the endearing way the melody of this song speaks to your soul as they play it.
The title track of this album is nearly as long as the first three songs combined, and spreads out to a length that’s over ten minutes in total. To be real with ya, I think they’ve chosen wisely by not making their material too long over the course of the record, which tends to be where traditional Prog will lose a lot of its potential fringe listeners anyhow. Going with a set of shorter songs could very well pay off for the band in the long run, provoke more people to give their music a chance, and also provide their songs with the opportunity to be found on more playlists and places throughout the internet as well. That being said, there’s no question that they’re thriving in their element & the extra space “The Navigator” contains. Lorenzo Poliandri in particular will make an impression on ya early in the song’s first half, as will the guitars you’ll hear from Eric as it moves into its second half. Charlie is as clever as ever in how he supports the melody from a distance, and the use of space from Nova Cascade as a unit overall is really nothing short of incredible. As much that can be said of their musicianship, their writing is equally sound. Clearly focused and ready to execute, they move together as one. I love hearing how they can shift so seamlessly from their sweet & airy atmospheric sound into the depths of their low-end rhythms like you’ll hear around the 7:30 mark in “The Navigator,” where Dave Fick drives the bass forward with real confidence and conviction. It’s an otherworldly tune when it comes right down to it – you feel like you’ve traveled into uncharted territory when you listen to a song like this. Smart use of the choir, great keys from Dave Hilborne to open the melody of “The Navigator” up along with Charlie…there’s so much to enjoy in a track like this. From the expert level execution, to the playfulness it has at its core, “The Navigator” is the kind of song that reminds us all about how fascinating the craft can be when you’re listening to musicians invested in every single note and tone we hear. While they’re no doubt that it’s a lengthy tune, “The Navigator” plays in clever segments, pieces, and parts that all form into a much larger idea…so if you’re intimidated by tunes over ten minutes long, don’t be – there’s something for everyone to love in a song like this, and they’ve done an excellent job of ensuring your entertainment at all times. LISTEN to that spot where the clarity breaks through around the 5:45 mark will ya? Spine-tingling stuff!
“The Night Crossing” might just fly right by ya in comparison to the length of the track right before it; it’s only a modest 2:23, but I can promise ya it’ll pack in a large amount of entertainment. In fact, while we’re not expecting to find any typical single-style tunes on a record like this, “The Night Crossing” comes extremely close. Here’s where Nova Cascade drifts real close to stuff you’d find in the Post Punk realm, which is usually where you’ll find me and my own personal taste start to perk up with the more moody and mysterious vibes you’ll discover. Again, I know I’ve said it already, but the writing is as truly fantastic as the musicianship is – this is highly engaging material that you don’t wanna take your ears off of, especially you fellow musicians out there. The drums from Lorenzo are spectacular…the lead electric is stellar…the bass from Fick is off-the-charts awesome underneath the surface…and Charlie & Dave never seem to have any issues combining their forces to provide an exquisitely addictive level of melody.
“The Fever Dream” is another track that shows how adept they are at working around a core theme, yet also expanding their ideas in every which way to get the very most out of the experience. You get the sense that Nova Cascade is a very patient band when it comes right down to it…they take their time to write the parts and likely rewrite things until they’re satisfied that they’ve explored every nook and cranny that could be offered, all in effort to find the right ways to keep you firmly entertained. There’s easy to digest melody in “The Fever Dream” that’ll kick things off brilliantly, but as the song progresses, you’ll also find cleverly designed counter melodies and contrast that could prove to be more challenging for some listeners, while also exciting their core audience and fellow musicians for sure. Hilborne’s added in some genuinely fantastic pieces into this song, and in many ways, plays a starring role in this particular tune. At the very least, until that spot around the 2:15 mark where the lead electric soars to the front for a moment or two…but you get the idea – Dave really owns a large part of “The Fever Dream” and why it appeals to us as listeners. While he’s known to be the glue that holds this band together, it’s actually fairly rare to hear him take more of a lead role, as opposed to finding him in the surrounding atmosphere filling in the blanks. Here you get a great mix of him doing both…the violins are exceptional, the flute is too, but I felt like the keys played the most significant role in “The Fever Dream” personally. If anything, I’d have liked that semi-distorted sound we hear right at the start to have made a comeback somewhere in the song later on…we hear the melodic pattern in a variety of ways from a variety of instruments, but I really liked the uniqueness we hear in the way this song begins and would have loved for that to reappear specifically. I’ll take what I can get though…my repeat button works just fine thank-you very much! “The Fever Dream” would be up there with my favorites on The Navigator.
On “Any Minute Now,” you’ll find a Spoken Word guest-star in Olivia Steele – and it’s actually the song they’ve been posting online for a while now in advance of the album’s official release on Bandcamp. I reviewed this song back in May along with “The Noble Lion” and had great things to say about both, which are opinions that have of course, remained largely unchanged. I listen, I listen more, and then I listen again when I’m checking out new music…I put grooves in digital media y’all…that’s how much time I tend to spend listening to whatever I’m commenting on. That way, by the time I go to write about something, I’ve road tested the material and spun it long enough to know whether or not it’ll hold up over time & the years to follow, or fade away into the ether in a month or so like so many memories do. Anyhow…the point is, you can read my original thoughts on “Any Minute Now” and “The Noble Lion” by clicking here, knowing I’ve still got full confidence in what I said way back when. I’m sure I commented on the incredible way Dave sings “We’re taken before our time” and the powerful symbolism that line adds to this particular album…I’m sure I referenced the stoic majesty of “The Noble Lion” and how inviting its melody is to listen to. I’m always so busy writing new stuff that I rarely ever revisit what I’ve said in the past personally, but I try not to leave out any details as I’m sure you can tell from the length of the articles I write. Music matters to me dear readers, dear friends – and what I love most about Nova Cascade is that it clearly matters to them as well – it’s awesome to hear them come out with such a lineup filled with extraordinary material, stunningly unique ideas & authentically sincere musicianship.
Putting on the ol’ proverbial clinic on “Submerged,” you’ll find what’s mainly a guitar-based tune goin’ on in this track – and if you’re a fan of your virtuosos like Vai & Satch & Johnson & such, it’d be tough for you not to love this cut. It starts out sounding like you’re about to go on a quest to conquer some far off realm…but after about a forty-second intro or so, you’re off soaring in the clouds with the guitar tones. Is it a titular mismatch? Intentional contrast? My own perception? I’ll let you be the judge. I feel like Nova Cascade sprang up like a whale outta the water for a huge leap as the guitar took over, and while we might have been “Submerged” at the start, we’ve certainly broken free of our watery confines by about forty-seconds in. From there on, we’re riding high on the fret-boards & simply enjoying the ride through a magnificent display of complexities and intricate guitar that reveals non-stop interest to the ear. With their purpose and passion combined, every element you’ll find in the lead or supporting parts is played with pure intent…it makes even their most delicate moments come across with bold color, and their most intense moments stand out proudly. With all the effort this band as put into The Navigator, it’s awesome to hear them play it all with the confidence in the material you’d hope they should have, you know what I mean? These songs deserved the performances you’ll find they put into them, 100%.
The final track with Dave doing vocals on this album is called “Weightless,” and it’s got a beautiful line within it that echoes the final summation of a man like their bandmate Eric as he approached his passing: “With faith and grace and poise, you accepted your mortality.” That’s an extremely potent and powerful line when you think about it…we should all be so lucky to have that attitude towards the end, yet I know that’s not always the case. It takes a certain caliber of person to reach the final stages of life and see it for as beautiful as it is, even then. Sounds like Eric was definitely that dude, and it’s amazing that his bandmates were able to document that within “Weightless” in the way that they have. I think one of the neatest aspects of The Navigator is the singing voice Dave chose to use for the songs he sings on, though it’ll likely be the most debatable and/or polarizing aspect of what’s included as well. To me, it’s a very performative-based approach…almost like we’re hearing the voice of time & experience itself, echoing its wisdom back to our ears from a vast distance. Is everyone going to feel the same way or get that? I doubt it, but hopefully? Think of it this way…do you think Dave sings like this all the time? Like, if he was to hear some Pop hit on the radio that everyone knows the words to – would he bust out this voice? Probably not. I don’t know that to be a fact, I just feel like that’s a good assumption. He’s doing what suits the song, what suits the theme of the album, and what’s required to get the most out of these ideas…and he should ultimately be commended for that. I also think the band should be too; it’s a very different approach at the end of the day, and one that’s going to prove to be challenging to listeners outside of the genre most likely – but they all clearly accepted this idea of how Dave wanted to communicate on this album, and I think it was a wise choice. It certainly adds another dimension of uniqueness to what we’re listening to – and adding the choir as a backup to him on “Weightless” was another real smart way to approach the vocals in this song as well. All-in-all, I think people will ‘get it’ and they’ll respond to the tangible level of emotion and sincerity put forth in a song like “Weightless.”
Some of the most exceptional violin work you’ll find on The Navigator can be found on “Return To Haven” – and I think there’s a large part of me that might want to proclaim this to be my favorite song on the album. Nova Cascade has made it extremely tough to choose and I tend to never really say what my number one track is in most situations anyhow…but to say the very least, “Return To Haven” would definitely be in the running, how about that? I’m positive I won’t be alone in my enthusiasm for this song…right from the get-go, Nova Cascade uses such clever ways of drawing us in to listen…tension, tone, texture, mystery…you name it, and “Return To Haven” gives you a little something of that & more. Or a big something of that – you get the idea. From the ambient thunder in the distance, to the truly exquisite beauty to be found in the lead violin, to the way the song expands and opens up around the 2:20 mark as if the clouds have parted and the sun begins to shine through the darkness, it’s wonderful. Like I’ve been getting at, it’s all about the details this time around for Nova Cascade, and they should be collectively proud of the way nothing has gone overlooked. Especially when you’re considering the fact that they’ve dedicated this entire album to their bandmate Eric’s memory, you have to admire how they clearly set out to give this lineup of songs their very best, and achieved exactly that. That’s how you honor the fallen dear readers, dear friends…they’ve made a memory to cherish with their work on The Navigator & created a testament to a man that meant so very much to them. You feel that connection they shared between them on a track like “Return To Haven,” from the intense adventures they had in the music they made, to the serene calm of comfort & friendship, this song is an insightful instrumental.
As the album begins to draw to a close, “Somewhere Between Here And Now” invokes a peaceful and reassuring feeling. Nova Cascade has taken us on the life-journey in audible form really…it’s been a truly beautiful thing to witness. The Navigator could have just as easily been called The Circle Of Life…that’s the story they’re telling here in tribute to Eric – and I really think that people out there are not only going to love it, but develop their own unique connection to it. None of us escape death in this life we live, and on some level, we all have experience with it…whether it’s a loved one that’s passed, or just knowing someone that’s been affected by someone they love being taken before their time…and it’s largely because of that, you’ll find you end up with your own unique relationship to this album. It’s thought-provoking, it’s evocative, and it’s remarkably sincere…this album comes from the heart, and it shows throughout the entire set-list. From the roots of the Kickstarter campaign that started them on their way, to the love that has been shown to the band in & around Eric’s passing, to the fact that Nova Cascade has dedicated the proceeds of the sales of this album to pancreatic cancer research in response, you’ve gotta admire just how many things have influenced The Navigator in a positive way, despite such tragedy. While I didn’t know him personally, I can only imagine that Eric would be stoked to find out how much his music and his band have brought the world a little closer together as a result of his departure…he was clearly beloved by one and all that knew him, and we feel that on this album.
And so here we are, “Au Revoir” finishes this epic and flawless masterpiece, revisiting the main musical theme of this record in a quaint acoustic variation to end the album. Those that know me best, know that I’ve said some tough things to folks, even in the toughest of situations…so rest assured, I haven’t pulled any punches here – Nova Cascade has really put the work into The Navigator and deserves the accolades, 100%. “Au Revoir” was the perfect low-key finale…it’s stunningly beautiful, it’s musically articulate…it’s awe-inspiring in a fascinating way…captivating…spellbinding…mesmerizing. It has you thinking about the journey you’ve been witnessing here on The Navigator and how far it has taken us, while also confirming that the cycle continues. We’re all better for the experiences we have and equally fortunate to have them, because they’re all a part of what makes us who we are. I’m thankful for this experience with Nova Cascade’s music, and though I’ve said much, I feel like I’m genuinely speechless in the admiration of how they’ve gone about toasting the legacy of Eric’s memory with such inspired art.
Make sure to show your support for this album. This is meaningful material that’s equally entertaining, and I can certainly assure you that it’s all been created with the best of intentions for a sincere cause – all the proceeds from the sale of this record go to the battle against pancreatic cancer. Nova Cascade’s The Navigator gets its official release September 29th – you can find your copy at Bandcamp, right here: https://novacascade.bandcamp.com/album/the-navigator
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