I spoke with gifted musician and songwriter Joshua Novak earlier this evening to discuss his new album, Ephemeron, which will be released this Tuesday, February 26. Novak, a veteran hometown hero in his native Denver, garnered acclaim in his home state, as well as with the likes of Billboard and several prominent music blogs, for his 2010 full-length debut, Dead Letters.
Ephemeron finds the still-young (he mentioned the strangeness inherent in grappling with turning 32), but 0ld-souled, Denver native confronting a crossroads and optimistically exploring fresh musical terrain. The arduous process of recording and releasing Dead Letters was a five-year battle that found Novak enduring the departure of his long-time bandmates, a painful breakup, and unexpected hospitalization for a heart problem. Considering he has been an esteemed presence in his local music scene for more than a decade, the five-year wait an official debut must have seemed interminable for fans of an artist with such undeniable promise.
Novak took to Kickstarter to fund his second album on new terms, and his loyal fans and the local community supported his endeavor. Joshua is every bit the first-rate talent and artist his longstanding fans have championed for so many years. With Ephemeron, he consciously rose up against the erroneous assumption some newcomers have of him being a singer-songwriter (in its most classicist sense), and he sought to craft an album rich in themes he holds dearly but with progressive textures and fresh arrangements.
As Novak (a young man who finds comfort in his nostalgic ways) wrote in his Kickstarter campaign, Ephemeron is “a nod to things short lived – youth, lovers, jobs, lives, memories, health, careers – in the form of items that are created to be important or useful for only a little while….with Ephemeron, I wanted to explore the future at the same time. The songs are about things that fade away and end up in the past, the music that frames these themes should be occasionally unfamiliar, less organic and from somewhere in the future.”
The culmination of his work is an album of warmly enveloping songs that allow you to get taken away in their mesmerizing spin, or they invite you to pull back the layers of Novak’s finely crafted atmosphere and honest, empathetic songwriting. Joshua Novak is an artist deserving of a following on par with his potential. Fans of great albums as eclectic as Radiohead’s In Rainbows, The Postal Service’s Give Up, Wild Nothing’s recent Nocturne, or even The Notwist’s Neon Golden will find much to love on his impressive Ephemeron.
Watch for my interview with Joshua in the days ahead, and seek out his self-released Ephemeron next week. For now, enjoy your exclusive introduction with the album cut “Informaniac.”
Joshua Novak – “Informaniac”
Buy “Informaniac” on iTunes
Joshua Novak’s Ephemeron is out 2/26.
More information at joshuanovakmusic.com.
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