Nova Scotian Arms - Cult Spectrum 7.3

                Nova Scotian Arms is a swirl of music. Throughout all of ‘Cult Spectrum’ the listener gets the sense of some enormous, unknowable space. It is impossible to fully grasp. Part of this is due to the mixture of loops with radio interference, a method perfected by Tim Hecker many years ago. Yet while Tim Hecker can often sound rather detached from his recordings, Nova Scotian Arms stays in the middle of things. The melodies are clear, beautiful, and affecting on a deeply emotional level. 

                Grant Evans lets each piece feedback off the last. We begin with ‘Gathering/Composition’ which takes a slow approach. It begins off sounding quite thin before the sound heads towards the low end halfway through the piece. ‘Overcast Strumming (1^st delay)’ is the calmest piece. This piece is completely confident in its evolution. Whereas the previous piece was obsessed with a buildup, this one is more concerned with offering a calming environment. 

                The real stunner in the album is the 16-minute long ‘Emulsion’. It has a full circle worth of emotions, from hesitant to dramatic to eventual resolution. Employing such a circular way of doing things allows for the listener to get a narrative without having to hear a single word uttered, just the way I like it. 

                 All of the pieces employ calm. There is no ‘difficult’ part of the album. What’s interesting is how many different techniques Grant employs on the album: from radio signals in the beginning piece to the acoustic guitar on ‘Emulsion’. I enjoyed how relaxing the entire thing was. I also enjoyed the sense of accomplishment at the end of each one, how each one avoided a typical ‘buildup’ and flowed organically. Nova Scotian Arms soothes the soul.