Novak presents a solid record on their debut from Hidden Agenda Records. Guitars, bass, drums, vocals, synths, flutes, vocals, and accordion can all be found throughout
Novak's self-titled record. The crisp drums and bass are the bed for the vocals and extra instruments to lie on and create melody lines. These songs seem to be created out of many hours in the practice room, structured jams, sounding like
Komeda, Seely, or
Velocity Girl. Dynamics are the key to this record. All of the songs rock up and down, then finally breakdown and build to glorious peaks that leave you humming. The vocals are used as an instrument. Sometimes the microphones are overdriven on the vocals, which add a great element to the clean, crisp music. The lyrics are hard to understand, but do not take away from anything that is going on around the music. The mixing of the music and the vocals is worth noting and is performed by
Novak, Tom Cullinan, and Sean Newsham at Quickspace. "By Peggy's Well" is a slower song that switches gears in the middle. Warbling guitars and an off-pitch harmonica throw the listener off kilter until
Novak goes back into the soft verse, making you question if you are going to swerve into craziness again. This song truly is a standout in a consistent, fun record. ~ Francis Arres