Nadja – When I See The Sun Always Shines On TV

Toronto, Canada’s NADJA creates some of the most beautiful ambient sounds that really do reach to the deepest of our hearts.  From seeing NADJA expand music to such depths, anything new coming from the band can be a surprise, but it’s always a treat.  Their 2009 The End Records release, When I See The Sun Always Shines On TV, is an album full of covers, and the band’s open mindedness towards each respective song really shows NADJA’s versatility.  And the cool thing is while NADJA shows hints of the original songs, it’s different, meaning, it’s not just a cover cd that duplicates the originals.

Ok, NADJA covers the classic Slayer song “Dead Skin Mask” and I bet you’re dying to know what it’s like?  Well, let me tell you that they take this one deep, and recreate the classic metallic intro with dark ambience and calculate the rhythm with NADJA touches.  It’s still deep, heavy, evil, and the brilliant vocals morph from moods of haunting, somber, and trance-like.  It really is amazing, and given NADJA’s ability to create epic pieces of art, you’ll have no problem listening to this cover from start to finish.

When recreating “No Cure For The Lonely” by Swans, Jarboe should be proud.  Approaching the song, NADJA gives some beautiful ambient sounds which they are sooooo good at, and the vocals really go with the mood of the music.  The droning pace is excellent, and when NADJA layers effects on the low end, you’ve just got to appreciate how the band sees music.  NADJA sees the whole playing field, and is not afraid to travel into the areas unknown.  The band’s creativity is much needed in today’s music, and it’s a great feeling when they can recreate such a unique song at Swans “No Cure For The Lonely” and blend in their own uniqueness to ultimately give such a deep tone.

Here is the tracklisting for When I See The Sun Always Shines On TV.  After seeing the selection, I know you’ve got to be curious.  Though I’d prefer NADJA originals to this, it sure is great to see what else these masterminds are capable of.  And then again, you can’t really think of this as a stereotypical cover cd.  I don’t want to be a spoiler, so make sure you check out their myspace for a preview, and then as it completely stuns you by its beauty, make sure you go out and buy it. 

 
“Only Shallow” (My Bloody Valentine)
“Pea” (Codeine)
“No Cure for the Lonely” (Swans)
“Dead Skin Mask” (Slayer)
“The Sun Always Shines on TV” (A-Ha)
“Needle in the Hay” (Elliott Smith)
“Long Dark Twenties” (Kids in the Hall)
“Faith” (The Cure)

Rating: 7/10
Label: The End Records
Website: http://www.myspace.com/nadjaluv

By Alex Gilbert

(+26 rating, 6 votes)

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