Angela Hail is a lady of impeccable musical taste. She’s also a writer, blogger, and friend. Here’s what she has to say about the new album (and yes, I’m still blushing).

ALBUM REVIEW & GUIDED TOUR - Novachild “Havia” - 11/29/11- by Angela Hail

I have been wandering through the varied terrain of Havia, the 7th studio album of musical artist Novachild, for the past several days. This vast, sweeping vision of ambient electronica is easy to get lost in, and difficult to leave. The artist describes this latest work as “the soundtrack of an imaginary place.” It certainly is that. A land of inspiration and yearning and adventure. I'd like to give you a guided tour.

The album kicks off with “Analog Revolutionary,” a soaring testimony to all that is true and pure and fulfilling about being alive. This is the prize at the end of a journey, hard won and well fought. It is also the hope and adrenaline of a journey's beginning--that moment when you are about to step off the cliff to see if you can really fly. It is the moment of enlightenment and of connection to something greater . . . something larger and more real than anything you have ever experienced. And when you finally let go, you find that you are weightless.


Havia then sweeps you off into “The Grand Stream,” which feels immediately like stepping into a gladiator's circle. This is where the story truly takes off, where the plot gets laid and the substance, the risk, is first realized. If this album were the story of an uprising, “Analog Revolutionary” would be the beginning spark of a revolutionary idea. “The Grand Stream,” then, would be the revolution itself. With huge swells of crowd chanting and pulsing rhythms along with an undercurrent of danger, you know just where you are. You've become a part of the flow, a part of the Grand Stream, and there is no turning back.


“Kiss that Baby,” a little more fun and a little more chill, takes you to a place where perhaps you meet the master, the timeless one, who is at once beautifully, perfectly young and inconceivably old. This is one who will give you the knowledge you need to reach the next stage. You listen. You pay attention in a way you don't think you ever have before. Something in this moment is vital and you don't want to miss a single beat.


The master then takes you through the next track, a place known as “Ice Cold,” where your new-found knowledge and skills are tested. Questions are asked and answered. The challenge is laid before you, with everything at stake.


And then you come, utterly alone, to “Cultivate the Void”--a dark, rhythmic masterpiece that feels at once heart-thumpingly primal, with its hand drums and otherworldly female voice (both urging and questioning, for what you do not know), juxtaposed against the supreme refinement of a jazzy horn section which transports you to a glittering ballroom complete with mambo dancers and laughing guests drunk on fine wine. “Cultivate the Void” is the most complicated of dreams. And as you awake in a fever-sweat, plagued by strange, disconnected images, you know it may be the most significant moment of your entire quest.


The next track, “Sleepytime,” is the sound of peace and reassurance. All is not yet lost, young one. There is still hope. It is a flying unicorn of a tune, and yet it brings you back down to earth, to the womb, where you are loved and protected in a haven of soft light and sound.


Finally, in the cyclic nature of all good stories, Havia ends with “Our Pleasant Moments Fly,” a tune that completes the journey by patting you on the back and then handing you your next mission. The village has been saved, you've won the battle, but the greater war rages on. It is time for your next great adventure. And, if you play this album on repeat, as I've been doing, “Our Pleasant Moments Fly” flows back into “Analog Revolutionary”--back to the beginning . . . and the end . . . and the beginning.

This is your imagination on Novachild. Any questions?

COUPON CODE FOR 30% OFF HAVIA (good through 11/30/11): 30percent

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Tags: review, press, havia, novachild, electronic, Indie, Indietronica, IDM, chill, ambient, recording artist

Finally got round to putting this up. Enjoy, comment, share. Thanks!


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Tags: IDM, Indietronica, novachild, ambient, shoegaze, electronic music, Tulsa, oklahoma, space Music, Tycho, boards of Canada, plaid, pete Namlook

Three years ago, Novachild and Diegesis Freak cooked up some interesting music for the 24-Hour Project. Armed with a Pogoplug (v 1), ample bandwidth and prodigious levels of bean juice, we cranked this out in about 7 hours.

(Audio Possibly NSFW)



Novachild on iTunes
Novachild on Amazon
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Novachild on Bandcamp
Novachild on ReverbNation

Tags: IDM, ambient, psychadelic, bouncy Ball, Indietronica, electronic, musicians, boards of Canada, Tycho, negativland, meat Beat Manifesto, eBM, space Music, collage, numbers station

ALBUM GIVEAWAYS

I've been randomly giving free download codes for HAVIA to Facebook followers this weekend. For your chance to win, "Like" Novachild on Facebook and keep your eyes on status updates. In fact, it's going on right now.

http://facebook.novachild.com/

Also, I tend to make announcements on Twitter first, so Follow me there, too, for better chances of catching my giveaways: http://twitter.com/novachild

FRESH UPLOADS OF "HAVIA"

The entire album is now available for streaming on Reverbnation. Please take a moment to listen, and share with your friends. Every little bit of social media helps independent artists like me, and a little goes a long way on Facebook & Twitter. http://reverbnation.com/novachild

NEW SONG "SMART CAR"

http://novachildmusic.bandcamp.com/track/smart-car
This short and sweet song is my interpretation of driving down a moderately busy neighborhood street in a smart car.

For reals. I'm not just being pretentious. The best thing, however, is that I wrote it on the same day "Havia" was released. Inspired by a productivity buzz, three cups of special coffee, and a sudden urge to twiddle, "Smart Car" is my homage to liberation from infinite possibility.

Due to a recent computer crash, I'm having to mix on an older, slower mac. It's very different from anything on "Havia," but thus is the life of someone who can't play in the same room all day. Enjoy and share.

credits
released 14 November 2011
Billy Gray provided the Bass Riff.
James McGowan provided the Drum Riff.

MORE ALBUMS AVAILABLE + SINGLE TRACKS

I've spent much of the weekend organizing and uploading my music to Bandcamp. I've also managed to restore my previously 'lost' album "INSILICO." After spending 2 years writing material and tweaking the album, I suffered a freak multiple hard drive crash that wiped all of my work, including the pre-masters AND my offline backup. Yeah, it happens apparently.

Fortunately, I tend to make discs of pre-release material for friends and occasionally stash them among my chaotic CD collection. I was able to reconstruct the album from these and a live show I managed to capture back in 2008.

Following is a list of available titles:

Novachild: INSILICO
http://novachildmusic.bandcamp.com/album/insilico

Novachild: Weary Demons EP
http://novachildmusic.bandcamp.com/album/weary-demons

Novachild: Natural Exile (Single)
http://novachildmusic.bandcamp.com/track/natural-exile

Novachild: Firm Meat (Single)
http://novachildmusic.bandcamp.com/track/firm-meat

Follow in Twitter, "Like" Novachild on Facebook, and bookmark the Blog to keep in touch with the latest announcements, giveaways, news and unique observations from yours truly.

NEW “ALBUM” COVERS




Cheers
Bruce

Novachild on iTunes
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Novachild on ReverbNation

Tags: free music, novachild, facebook, Twitter, reverbnation, smart car, driving music, album release, IDM, Indietronica, ambient, jazzy, chill, chillout, downtempo, experimental

I’ve been working on getting a number of previously unreleased tracks ready for free streaming & affordable downloading. In the next little while, I will be posting these links throughout the rest of my web site, but here they are together for now.

Streaming is free. Sharing is appreciated. Downloading is cheap.

NEW ALBUM:

NEW SONG:



WEARY DEMONS EP:

SINGLES:























Novachild on iTunes
Novachild on Amazon
Novachild on Twitter
Novachild on Facebook
Novachild on Bandcamp
Novachild on ReverbNation

Tags: novachild, electronic, IDM, downtempo, Indietronica, world beat, ambient, streaming

This short and sweet song is my interpretation of driving down a moderately busy neighborhood street in a smart car.

For reals. I'm not just being pretentious. The best thing, however, is that I wrote it on the same day "Havia" was released. Inspired by a productivity buzz, three cups of special coffee, and a sudden urge to twiddle, "Smart Car" is my homage to liberation from infinite possibility.

Due to a recent computer crash, I'm having to mix on an older, slower mac. It's very different from anything on "Havia," but thus is the life of someone who can't play in the same room all day. Enjoy and share.

Credits
Released 14 November 2011
Billy Gray provided the Bass Riff.
James McGowan provided the Drum Riff.

They are awesome dudes. You can find their band “Something Warm” on Facebook. They also have a 5-song EP coming out, which I am currently wrapping up production for. Good times.

Novachild on iTunes
Novachild on Amazon
Novachild on Twitter
Novachild on Facebook
Novachild on Bandcamp
Novachild on ReverbNation

Tags: novachild, music, ambient, electronic, funky, Indie, Indietronica, Instrumental, melodic, Tulsa, oklahoma, smart car, macintosh, something warm, billy gray, james mcgowan