Underground Hottlanta: Nomen Novum


Moorish Idols @ Home Park Fest 2007

Much like how Merriweather Post Pavilion has set the bar very high for 2009 albums on a nationwide level, Nomen Novum‘s debut full-length, November, may very well end up being the best album to come out of Atlanta this year. For those of you who are not in the know, Nomen Novum is currently made up of two thirds of the now defunct Moorish Idols. The only official record that Moorish Idols released during their tenure was a self-titled EP. That album was our favourite EP from 2007, and I really can’t recommend it enough.

The brainchild of both bands, David Norbery, disbanded Moorish Idols and decided to start over fresh to better express his vision. He focused his attention on his solo project called Nomen Novum, which is literally Latin for “New Name”. I was honestly a bit skeptical at first about the change of direction because I loved the old incarnation so much, but I underestimated one of Atlanta’s best sonic artists. November is a matured, less restrained effort than Moorish Idols, and manages to expand on all of the magic and brilliance that made me a fan in the first place.

What is also interesting about the album is that it is actually a bit of a relic in relation to where Nomen Novum is musically right now. Over the course of last year, the project went from being a full band, to a solo act, to finally a duo comprised of Norbery and fellow Moorish Idols veteran Mark Godfrey. For the better part of last year, Nomen Novum abandoned the guitar driven approach found on November and moved in a loop based direction. At the beginning of this year, the two gathered a small group of close friends in an empty room and recorded the performance. The resulting EP is called Room For Rent and was released for free digitally around the same time they released November. The two releases are almost polar opposite sorts of records. As the band travels farther and farther away from their Moorish Idols roots, there is something truly astonishing about an artist that can continue to redefine themselves and the resulting art continue to be consistently excellent.

I hit up David Norbery via email to get the straight dope on the Nomen Novum happenings:


Me: What was the process like in making November? Where was it recorded? Who was involved?

Him: I started Nomen Novum around August 2007, as a sort of open-ended solo project. I had a lot of songs backed up and wanted to get them out fast (that didn’t exactly happen.) It was a very transitional time for me; my band of several years was ending, I had been through a painful breakup but was starting a new relationship, and some of my best friends had moved away. It was very sad but at the same time I felt a new sense of awareness and freedom to try something new. The album opens with an alarm clock, and a lot of the songs involve awakening from, or coming to terms with a stagnant or ending era. There’s plenty of melancholy and nostalgia but also optimism for the future. Alex Martin played drums on three tracks and gockenspiel on one, everything else is me. I recorded it in my small practice space/studio (formerly my parents’ garage,) where Mantis Man and the Moorish Idols EP were also made. Erik Olson and I mixed it at my house, and Carl Saff in Chicago mastered it. I designed the art and made the outer sleeves and Imprint in Florida did the discs and inserts. The album was delayed for a number of reasons, mainly because I chose to put out the Mantis Man 7” first, and try playing the songs live with a band.

Me: I noticed you had many different lineups for live Nomen Novum shows last year. Have you settled into a permanent lineup now, or will this project be one that remains in constant flux?

Him: We played a handful of local shows with rotating members and formed a tighter quartet for a short tour with the Orphins, but the “band” thing never quite gelled. We weren’t all on the same page stylistically, and I was getting more into repetitive, loop based songwriting, which didn’t always require accompaniment. After the tour I did a solo set at WonderRoot, playing drums and guitar to prerecorded loops. I was kind of nervous but it went really well. The material was more conceptual and process-oriented, and wouldn’t have worked in the context of a band. Mark joined and we did another small tour with him on keyboard/laptop and me on guitar, drums and sampler. Since then we’ve gotten more into working with field recordings, and our last few shows haven’t had guitar or drums at all. We’ve discussed working with other musicians but working as a duo hasn’t been a limitation – the standard guitar/bass/drum format, on the other hand, was extremely limiting.

Me: Could you describe what the scene was like when you recorded Room For Rent? Do you have a favourite random moment that showed up on the recording?

Him: Room For Rent was really fun to make. I pitched the idea to Mark as a kind of musical installation. We had an empty bedrom in my house and wanted to take advantage of the acoustics before someone else moved in, so I brought my PA and we threw together a little party. About sixteen of our friends came. The room was tiny and people were constantly entering and leaving, very casual. We got beer and snacks and turned blacklights on. The performance sounds better now than it probably did at the time; I think a lot of our friends thought it was just weird. We tried to keep it loose and interactive, and I think people got a kick out of hearing their conversations looped. There’s a pause at the beginning of “Ready 4 Kidz” where my friend Sean asks if we want some pizza while we play, and that cracked me up so much I actually turned it up during mixing.

Me: What do you and Nomen Novum have planned for 2009?

Him: Mark and I have been collecting samples and live recordings, and figuring out how we want to use them on the new record. I just got a laptop and we’re going to start swapping tracks back and forth via FTP. We also have about an EP’s worth of slightly older tracks that I’m eager to finish and release somehow. A lot of stuff will probably end up on our website, which is a project in itself. I really need to get on the ball about promoting November – I still don’t even have that many copies assembled, which is stupid considering the time and money I’ve spent on the project. I’m supposed to get together with my friend Joey soon to finish editing a video he shot for “Permanent Makeup,” and I’m also trying to plan a tour before my vacation days expire. So I guess that’s a lot. Oh, and shirts! I’m making new tie-dyed shirts.

Me: How do you feel about the Atlanta music scene?

Him: Our scene has a lot of potential – places like WonderRoot, Vacation and 529 are all great examples of people taking initiative and making something cool happen. That said, I am still pretty ambivalent about most of the music that’s coming out of Atlanta – I wish local bands would take more risks instead of staying in comfort zones. I used to go to tons of shows but now I mainly just go to Kirkwood Ballers Club. That’s where the most interesting music is coming from these days and that’s where whatever’s “next” will probably start.




Ok, so here’s some media to get you hooked:

Nomen Novum : Hand Me Downs

Nomen Novum : Don’t Look Up

Nomen Novum : Ready 4 Kidz

Buy November

Download Room For Rent for free

Nomen Novum myspace

Atlanta Album Preview: Nomen Novum

The debut full-length album from Nomen Novum is getting closer to being finished. They revealed some details recently on their myspace:


“November” will be mixed by Erik Olson around the end of September. Tracking has begun on the new record — it is very different. Initial tracklist:

Ultrasound
The Color of Water
Silenios
Me in a Dark Alley
The Garden
Paradises
(Your Heat is Like a) Lovewave (Baby)
Miracles Cum True
Mah-Mah-Lade
King of the Bees


In case you forgot, Erik Olson produced their previous project’s self-titled Moorish Idols record, which happened to be our favourite EP from last year. Nomen Novum are doing a small tour after playing the Other Sound Festival tomorrow night
and before opening up for Sunset Rubdown later this month.

Nomen Novum Tour Dates:

Sept 11 – Atlanta, GA @ WonderRoot %
Sept 14 – Philadelphia, PA @ Tritone $
Sept 17 – Wilmington, DE @ Mojo 13 $
Sept 18 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Charleston
Sept 19 – Knoxville, TN @ The Pilot Light *
Sept 24 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl ^

% w/ 13 Day Mission, Thy Mighty Contract, Chopper
$ w/ Remote Islands
* w/ Royal Bangs
^ w/ Sunset Rubdown

Here’s a few classic tracks from David Norbery and company:

Nomen Novum : Green Greener Greenest


Moorish Idols : Clouds Forming

Nomen Novum Photos, Tour, and 7″ Info

With all the attention the Atlanta music scene gets for a certain bands on-stage antics and flaming pussy farts it’s refreshing to know some people here are putting music and art first. Nomen Novum is just such a band. Led by Guitarist/Singer/Visual Artist David Norberry and also featuring Mark Godfrey and Alex Martin, as well as other guests musicians, Nomen Novum is a band that deserves a lot more attention from local and national fans.

Their recent 7″ “Mantis Man” is a great record, from the production to the all the serious badass stuff that comes with it. For $5 you get all this:

For 5 bucks you couldn’t buy all the blank media, paper, and materials that went into it. Fuck “Free” as the new price model, these guys are losing cash on each record they sell, if that’s not dedication to your work then I don’t know what is. You’ll never get a greater deal on any piece of art.

You can buy the record from Criminal Records, Wax ’N Facts and Ella Guru. Or just send $5 to:

Nomen Novum
1572 Anita PL NE
Atlanta, GA 30306

and “if you have a sleeve color preference please specify.” Luckily for the southeast Nomen Novum will be touring soon, here are the dates:

May 9 2008, 8:00P at The Birdhouse in Knoxville, TN

May 10 2008, 8:00P at Yauhaus in Charlotte, North Carolina

May 11 2008, 8:00P Village Tavern in Charleston, South Carolina

May 12 2008, 8:00P at Caledonia Lounge in Athens, GA

More Dates to come. Here is a sample track from the 7″:
“Aunt Urn”

And here are some photos from their last show at The Drunken Unicorn:


Click here to read the entire post…

What Up In The ATL?

Atlanta’s From Exile have re-released their epic 2006 debut full-length album Crushing Reality for FREE right now at their website. I highly recommend going and getting that because it really is such a great album. From Exile are currently in the studio recording their newest record which should be out later this year. Also, stop by their myspace.

Another Ohmpark favourite band, Moorish Idols, has gone on a hiatus of sorts to shift their focus on David Norbery’s newest project, Nomem Novum. Nomem Novum will have a 7″ called Mantis Man out in March and a full-length to follow in November. You can check out the great new tunes at the myspace. There are a handful of shows coming up that you should check out:

02/09/2008 08:00 PM – parkgrounds amphitheater w/Recompas
02/22/2008 09:00 PM – LennysWithTheOrphinsBenefitForSarahJones
03/20/2008 09:00 PM – Drunken Unicorn w/ Blitzen Trapper
04/05/2008 09:45 PM – Drunken Unicorn w/ ENON

Nomem Novum : Aunt Urn

Last week we talked about the new Slushco album, When I Met The Boss Of Nova, being released. Apparently there were some technical issues with CDBaby where it was released digitally, but you can now go purchase the new album here. While I was waiting for that, I finally bought a copy of the self-titled album and it is really awesome. I’m on a heavy Slushco kick right now, but I’ll have more on that in a few days.

Tonight there a couple hippy friendly shows. The Greyboy Allstars will be at Smith’s Old Bar and I’ll be going to The Tabernacle to catch Ween again.

Tomorrow there a few great shows. I’m way stoked about the Super Furry Animals, Fiery Furnaces, Holy Fuck show at The Variety Playhouse. At the Earl, you can catch High On Fire and A Life Once Lost. At The Starbar you can catch Scott H Biram.

Thursday night you can go see Zoroaster at the Drunken Unicorn or Brass Castle and Undomskulen at The Earl.

Friday night you can check out many of what I call the “nu-Black Lips” Atlanta bands such as The Howlies, The NEC, and Thee Crucials.

Saturday night The Earl has yet another awesome show with Rizzudo and The Liverhearts:

Ohmpark’s Top 10 Best EPs Of 2007

An EP, or Extended Play, is the sweet spot between a full album and a single. Typically between 10 and 25 minutes, although what has come to define the difference between EPs and LPs can sometimes be blurred. Usually EPs get a bad rap, as it carries with it connotations of being “less-than” and not good enough to be a proper album, but I like seeing variations in the art medium. There are EPs like Alice In Chains’ Jar Of Flies and Radiohead‘s Airbag/How Am I Driving? that beat most full lengths. Also, EPs afford an artist the chance to showcase things that don’t fit in the context of a larger piece of work, or explore a different sound without moving fully in that direction. Anyways, I’d take an EP of nothing but the goodness over a full-length comprised mostly of filler surrounding a few good songs any day.

In 2007 I actually heard many great EPs. A few of which I’ll give honorable mentions that just missed this list that are worth-while include Joanna Newsom And The Ys Street Band, Vampire Weekend, and Black Kids‘ Wizard Of Ahhhs, of which I’ve come around a little bit on now that I’ve listened to it more. Here are the 10 most essential short-length albums of 2007:

Click here to read the entire post…

Ohmpark Mixtape #3: My Favourite Songs Of 2007

The best ofs continue. Here are the songs I really dug this year, arranged in what i think is a great flowing hour and a half experience. I did cheat a little bit and included a few tracks from my best 2006 Albums of 2007 list, but these songs will always make me think of this year, so it’ll work. Enjoy:

The Shins : Wincing The Night Away : Sleeping Lessons

Midlake : The Trials Of Van Occupanther : Roscoe

The Cinematic Orchestra : Ma Fleur : To Build A Home

Blonde Redhead : 23 : Spring And by Summer Fall

Earlimart : Mentor Tormentor : Happy Alone

Wilco : Sky Blue Sky : Impossible Germany

Beach House : Beach House : Master of None

Low : Drums And Guns : Breaker

Parade : Answer Me : Booths

Of Montreal : Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? : The Past Is A Grotesque Animal

Deerhunter : Fluorescent Grey : Wash Off

Akron/Family : Love Is Simple : Don’t Be Afraid, You’re Already Dead

Snowden : Anti Anti : Anti Anti


Moorish idols : Moorish Idols : Why Are We Whispering

Phosphorescent : Pride : Wolves

Smashing Pumpkins : Zeigeist : Neverlost

Radiohead : In Rainbows : Reckoner

Marnie Stern : In Advance Of The Broken Arm : Patterns Of A Diamond Ceiling

Photos & Video: From Exile, Moorish Idols at Home Park Fest – November 3rd, 2007

From Exile

“Crushing Reality”

Other Videos:
“Minor Key Jam”
“Product Of Sin”

Moorish Idols

“Fer-De-Lance w/ Runaway Train Teaser”

Other Videos:
“SETI”
“Renouncing The Renaissance”
“Past Lives Club”
Moorish Idols – “Trem Two” (Mission of Burma cover)

Lots more Home Park Fest Photos and Video to come!

Photos: Do Make Say Think, Moorish Idols @ The Earl, Atlanta GA – 9-22-07

Saturday night was a great night to be a music lover in the A. “Queens of The Stone Age”, “Girl Talk” and “Dan Deacon”, and “Do Make Say Think” all shared the same Saturday night. The Ohmpark crew all settled on the “Do Make Say Think” show which was opened by one of our favorite local bands “Moorish Idols”. The Idols played to an already somewhat large audience which showed not everyone was there just for just the headliner. After a solid set which included a few new tunes “Do Make Say Think” was up. The Toronto band which Saturday included 8 members played a hefty set of incredible instrumental music. If you haven’t heard this post rock group with members associated with “Broken Social Scene”, do yourself a favor and pick up one of their albums.

Moorish Idols

Do Make Say Think

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