21/06/2022
I have inadvertently attracted a mentor from England, Dave Hilborne, an established musician who orchestrates a very talented band called Nova Cascade! His music is incredibly beautiful, soothing and/or uplifting. His team's genre is a unique version of progressive ambient rock. Take a rock-style foundation and wrap it in symphonic loveliness. Dave and his band are busy working on their next album called 'The Navigator' which will debut next year. See here for more about them, some wonderful acclaim, teasers, and where to find the music of Nova Cascade: https://www.facebook.com/NovaCascade
Somehow my own music has met Dave's standards and caught his attention. From his generous heart, he reached out to encourage me - relative beginner that I am - while also suggesting I do NOT sound like a beginner. As a part-time music-related journalist, Dave was also recently kind enough to write a review for the start of my Wayward Waves (starting with a brief analysis of restrictive genre labeling):
"Generally, the phrases fun, quirky, and hell, let's even throw in ambient and experimental all have a degree of negative connotations. The assumption is that the work may be seen as somehow lightweight and lacking depth. Lounge music at best, elevator fodder at worst.
Labels are destructive, almost hypnotic flags pinned needlessly to genres to give the would-be listener a sense of identity and what to expect. Whatever happened to just diving in and taking that beautiful leap of faith as we all once did, pre-google-fu.
Speaking of diving, it's easy to lose yourself in the glorious washes of thick, dense analog synths that punctuate the output thus far of Justine Painter aka 'Wayward waves'. Apparently a loving nod to her late father's pen name. A fitting tribute if ever there was one.
To the work itself :
First up we have 'Misty forest' which true to its title immediately immerses us into its fog-strewn atmospherics. Subtle bass & ethnic percussions chatter away while fat synths & other sonics rumble before giving way to lush orchestrations, pipes and other foresty goodness. Apparently, it's the first foray into composition, and me, a 30-year veteran of all things dramatic, am nothing short of dumbfounded at the skill with which it's been put together.
'Desert Relics' is another standout performance. The way the various melodic layers intertwine and dance away like a mesmeric snake charmer is captivating. So much thought has gone into this and it's easy to imagine its composer agonizing over the velocity & placement of each note. Detail maniacs the world over rejoice!
The recently released 'Edge of infinity' is in my opinion the standout of the three tracks I've picked to highlight. The love of synth-driven 80's pop sensibility is apparent from the subtly mixed vocal elements to a bass line that could have easily jumped ship from a Thompson Twins hit circa 'Into the gap'. It's utterly authentic and there's no hint of Millenials jumping on the faux 80's bandwagon. Bravo.
What we have here is the beginning of something.. I'm intrigued as to where the melodic currents of Wayward Waves will lead us next."
Needless to say, I am SO flattered by Dave's articulate observations and his support of my efforts thus far. I admire him a great deal, and ... his music is to die for.
Nova Cascade are a truly international band. Formed in May of 2017, musicians from Europe and the Un
