Novillero - Aim Right For the Holes in Their Lives

Genre rock Publisher Mint External Links Official Website Mint Records

The thought of a new album of flighty indie pop from Vancouver, British Columbia label Mint Records is enough to make one groan, "Again?!" Nothing against the folks; after all, they were the ones responsible for giving us such great acts such as The New Pornographers, Neko Case. And, although too much clever indie pop can become tiresome after a while, all it takes is on well-made record to renew our collective interest. The Vancouver scene hit a low this past spring with P:ano's horribly tedious, and annoyingly precious Brigadoon, but then Mint put out an incredibly charming disc like Duplex's Ablum, and all was instantly forgiven.

At first, Noveillero's second album, Aim Right For the Holes in Their Eyes might seem to have all the characteristics of the New Pornographers sound: bouncy melodies, a female vocal presence, dense, wordy lyrics, and plenty of harmony vocals and handclaps, as a song like "Gaining Ground/Losing Sight" tends to cling too closely to the formula. However, the more it starts to sink in, the more clever and original the album starts to sound. By combining the vintage sounds of 1970s AM radio hits with the musical smarts of Spoon, the Winnipeg, Manitoba foursome prove they're not another bunch of Canadian indie rockers bent on sounding cute. If anything, the music has as much muscle as it does hooks.

Opening cut "Laissez-Faire System" is a terrific, organ-driven rocker that bests all the garage bands who popped up three years ago and subsequently disappeared, the band delivering a fine, Deep Purple-like groove underneath the sunny melodies. The upbeat "The Art of Carrying On" is an absolute charmer, singer/keyboardist Rob Slaughter's optimism echoed by the very effective use of horns during the ascending chords of the chorus. Horns also pop in during "The Hypothesist," but this time sound more dominant, taking on an early Chicago sound, while the deliciously snarky "Dean" takes a not-so-subtle poke at a rather overbearing acquaintance, its chorus becoming unrelentingly contagious ("And then there's Dean!"). "Morally Deficient Business" is propelled by insistent piano chords, Slaughter eloquently musing about where his life is going: "So now it's one more night of blending with the friends by default/Tying one on with an uncommon thread/Spilling the thoughts from right out of our heads." "Let's Pull Over Here" closes the CD in lovely fashion, thanks primarily to guest vocalist Keri McTighe, from fellow Winnipeg band Nathan.

While the overtly Beatle-esque "Abbey" tries too hard to impress, the gaffe is quickly redeemed by the sublime title track, which builds slowly to a modestly epic climax. Novillero tend to push themselves a bit too much on this album, but despite a couple of mis-steps that, if anything, they earn an A for effort. They've established themselves as one of the strongest indie rock acts in Western Canada right now. Yeah, it's more Canadian indie pop, but this is not an album that should be glossed over.