NOVILLERO
Aim Right For The Holes In Their Lives (Mint)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

---

Possessing one of the most exciting and vast sounds in rock and roll, Novillero blasts forth from Winnipeg, Manitoba with a dozen songs more than worthy of your CD Changer/iPod space. They do enjoy their studio time, these four, and the proof is in the layers of instruments and the multiple textures that give Aim Right For The Holes In Their Lives such an enormous sound. Slamming drums, hi-voltage bass and distorted guitar? Sure, that'd be big enough for most bands, but Novillero add a deep synth over the bass, multi-layered background vocals, a huge-sounding Wurlitzer organ, multi-tracked trumpet and, just for fun, let's change the drum beat to "frantic" and see what we get. Lesser musicians would get a bucket of muck, but Novillero manage to ride this bucking bronc to the finish line. Bassist/vocalist Rod Slaughter (Duotang) leads his fellow Canadians through tunes about personal and social issues not often committed to song. When was the last time you heard a song about laissez-faire economics ("Laissez Faire System")? If that's a tipoff to their political bent, all doubts are removed by "Morally Deficient Business," but then anyone looking for silly love songs shouldn't buy an album called Aim Right For The Holes In Their Lives, agreed?


[Visit Novillero's website at www.novillero.net.]

© 2005 - DJ Johnson