My Brightest Diamond
A Million and One
Release Date: Nov 23, 2018
Genre(s): Pop/Rock
Record label: Rhyme & Reason
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Album Review: A Million and One by My Brightest Diamond
Very Good, Based on 3 Critics
Based on rating 7/10
It's hard to get a take on Shara Nova, better known as My Brightest Diamond. It's also hard not to like her sophisticated and sensual, cabaret-influenced, chamber-pop vibe. Her ever-evolving career path has seen her fair share of collaborations (Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, Sufjan Stevens, and The Decemberists to name a few) and now five peculiar and distinctive studio albums, all while racking up comparisons to Goldfrapp, Fever Ray, Annie Lenox, and Regina Spektor.
Based on rating 7.0/10
A Million and One, the fifth full-length from Shara Nova's My Brightest Diamond, is nocturnal and optimistic, like the dark winter trek toward the lights of the dance floor. "Sometimes I will go to a club and don't want to be distracted by everyone else's energy," Nova says, "but I want to dance hard, so I face the wall, playing with what shadows I can create." Nova is directed and moody during these 10 tracks, making the sort of sulky party music that is the specialty of Troye Sivan or Robyn. They don't want to escape their tender aches but, instead, bring their little heartbreaks along in the search for sweaty deliverance.
Based on rating 7/10
Sasha Nova's music as My Brightest Diamond always served as a multi-dimensional muse for her eclectic songwriting and production. Nothing was off limits as her operatically trained vocals found their way into settings of moody rock, spare lullabies, and meticulously arranged chamber pop. Following a time of major life shifting, fifth album A Million and One marks another wide swing for My Brightest Diamond, as the songs move towards darker electronic landscapes and nod to the techno of her hometown of Detroit.
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