Rob’s Album Of The Week: Nova One’s Lovable

The artistic shifts made by Providence’s Roz Raskin have been seamless over the years. Going from the rhythmic progressions from the indie pop trio Roz and The Rice Cakes to the smooth subtleties of Nova One has seen a change in structure while some elements have stayed the same. There’s still that fuzzy piano tone that sneaks in every once in a while along with the way Raskin can write a melody that sticks with the senses. Nova One’s second album, Lovable, that’s being released via the New Orleans based label Community Records on April 24 exhibits a peculiar evolution. Raskin examines the dynamics of vintage pop music while also pushing the limits into new directions.

With every musician who has multiple projects, it’s natural for the listener to make contrasts and comparisons. Roz and The Rice Cakes definitely unleashed more of a flurry of energy than Nova One does. The way the piano notes from Raskin complimented the feverish drumming of Casey Belisle while Justin Foster held it all together on bass and guitar was very unique. Nova One has a lot more elegance in a profound way, with each song on the new record being a steady ocean wave with the instrumentation from the guitars, drums and piano being the current. There’s also more of a psychedelic and cosmic vibe that’s present.