Novadriver

Void (Small Stone)
by Brian Varney

No surprise to learn that these lads are from Detroit. Lotsa obvious nods to the Motor City rock establishment (check the one-note piano solo ala “I Wanna Be Your Dog” on “Rocket Superstar”) to be found on here, but to stop there would be to sell Novadriver short. I don’t want you to read that last sentence and think Novadriver are another of the seemingly endless Detroit wanna-bes, adopting the pose but lacking the ass necessary to play such music successfully. I mean, sure, some of Novadriver’s influences are pretty obvious, but to inject such a well-worn template with such a hefty load of kickass, well, that’s pretty unusual.

Think Let It Burn/To the Center-era Nebula with powerful rock-god vocals (imagine a cross between Robert Plant and Iggy Pop) without the punk aesthetic (i.e. Novadriver aren’t afraid to admit they like Black Sabbath). In other words, stomping early-’70s-flavored body-odor rock with terrific vocals, a tornado of pulverizing psychedelic guitars awash in wah-wah, and a whole lotta stomp coming outta the engine room. Unless you’re a total gimp, this should sound pretty damn good.

And it is. These ten beautifully-recorded songs sound really good in the car (I dare you to stay under the speed limit when “Rocket Superstar” kicks in) or anywhere else you can crank it way the fuck up. I’ll bet they’re great live, too. And at just under 44 minutes, this thing is the perfect length for your next drinking binge and/or sexual encounter.
(PO Box 007 Detroit, MI 48202)