Nostra Nova - The Best Locally Produced Record in a Decade
By Matthew Toledo - 8/8/2007
Nostra Nova is not a traditional band. It is a collaboration between local singer and song writter,Adam Torres, and various local musicians. Torres is the primary song writer for the group and has been known to play some of the songs on his solo tours. Many of the contributors to the record are members of the local folk super-group, Southeast Engine, which was recently signed to the California-based label, Misra. In fact, Adam Torres is one of the guitarists for Southeast Engine.
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In person, Torres is a paper-thin, inobtrusive man with brown hair, and a tendency to wear muted colors. To look at him, you would think a stiff breeze could carry him down the street. Yet to hear him sing, you would think he is a six feet tall sophisticate with an axe to grind. Torres doesn't just sing, he uses his voice as an instrument, a weapon and a disguise. On tracks like "Voices From The Top Of The Mountain" and "Angry Sun", Torres is a wounded folk crooner. On tracks like the "The Butlers and the Maids" and "The Thing I've Learned From Bells", his voice is ominous and deranged. You can almost picture him singing these songs from a padded cell in some obsolete mental institution. And yet, on tracks like "Dusty Wing Spirit" and "Alone Together" his tone is playful and comforting.
Torres is an amazing song writer primarily because he is unafraid to take risks with his phrasing and melody. His wide vocal range allows him to bring a much needed new twist to the well established genre of folk music. He may write folk songs, but they don't sound like a typical folk song. For example, his murder ballad, "Breakneck Jane's Fifteen Minute Escape" has undeniable crossover appeal. The song is an odd first-person account of a murder and robbery where the criminal escapes by dressing as a woman. However, fate ultimately steps in to bring the killer to justice. I don't want to spoil the ending of the song, but the falling violins perfectly augment the lyrics. Listen to it and you will see what I mean. Torres' unusual vocals on the track are surreal and captivating. His choice of words and imagery: expertly chosen. You feel mesmerized. The question is, are you mesmerized by the story teller, or the tabloid-television nature of the story. Regardless, the track equally satisfies the needs of folkies, indie snobs and rockers alike. That was just one track. Many of the tracks provide a similar experience.
Nostra Nova's myspace page describes their music as experimental folk and lounge. In actuality, the record is more non-traditional than experimental. There are no 20 minute noise soundscapes or free-style jams that ignore time signatures. Every note on this record has a well-designed home. It's just that some of these homes just happened to have been designed by someone like Frank Gehry. During a drunken discussion with Adam Torres at a booth at the Casa Cantina nearly a year ago (you could still smoke at the bar) I asked him how long it took him to write and record the Nostra Nova LP. It took over a year of repeated visits to the locally owned, Three Elliot Studios, to complete the album. It took even longer to write the songs. Torres' desire to write pristine songs obviously carried over to the physical production of the record. This production is spotless. Torres is listed in the liner notes as an "additional engineer." However a lot of the credit for this impressive record must go to lead engineer, Josh Antonuccio.
There are many stories throughout the history of music where artists are hindered by bad recordings. There are also an equal number of stories where a studio perfectly captures a really crappy band performing crappy-as-usual. Only once in a blue moon does the confluence of a talented musician and a talented recording engineer occur. Antonuccio and Torres have known each other for quite some time. As members of the coffee house scene, they approached this project with a complete understanding of their chosen genre. That is why this article declares the Nostra Nova LB to be the best locally produced record in a decade. This record is nearly perfect. However, and this is the important part, this record is not soulless.
Antonuccio channels the Beach Boys at times and The Who / The Kinks producer, Shel Tammy, at others. Every crackle of Torres' voice, every minimalist mallet hit by drummer Leo DeLuca, every chorus of "ooohs"--all of it couldn't be any more right and fitting. Each track has a crafted sound that slightly differentiates its sound from the predecessor. Could this be the byproduct of an extended production period? Were they learning and adapting as the progressed? Some tracks like "The Butlers and the Maids" were crafted longer than others. There is plenty of headphone candy on this track, only audible with the use of headphones. The overall production is transparent, meaning that it doesn't interfere with the music. Yet, in an odd way, the production is also very apparent. The clarity and choice of textures on each track make me wonder if Antonuccio and his studio should be listed as extra members of the band.
This record should be part of every Athenian's collection. Four out of Four
stars. 
Sounds Like: Southeast Engine, Wilco, Mike Elliot, Pedro The Lion, Nick Drake, Grandaddy.
