Noveller
Glacial Glow
Release Date: Jun 7, 2011
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Record label: Weird Forest
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Album Review: Glacial Glow by Noveller
Great, Based on 3 Critics
Based on rating 4/5
When one discovers a new genre (in this review, that small niche is pedal/loop guitar-drone), the techniques and tools of the trade can often overwhelm perception, inducing gushing excitement over the newness of its sounds. But over time, the novelty fades and exotic notes eventually start sounding like commonplace ones. Suddenly, four juxtaposed guitar loops, all filtered through electronic gadgetry, no longer sound as amazing as they once did.
Based on rating 7.6/10
Sarah Lipstate, the Brooklyn-based guitarist who calls her solo project Noveller, has been busy the past two years. She's made four albums and two split releases in that time-- all interesting forays into noise, drone, and ambience. But Glacial Glow is a leap forward. Confident and consistent, it bears a musical personality that had been somewhat hidden.
Based on rating 3.5/5
With only a passing listen, Glacial Glow, Sarah Lipstate’s fourth full-length album of experimental guitar work under the moniker Noveller, may sound like the perfect soundtrack to a waffy SXSW indie film; it fulfills requirements for atmosphere and melancholy, but it’s one-note all the same. To pigeonhole it in this corner alone would be a shortsighted judgment though, as it would dismiss the stellar subtlety on display. An astute set of ears isn’t a requirement, but a willingness to explore only enhances the experience.