NOVAR
Starling
Philippe Cousin
The Belgian folk scene is definitely alive and well because after the Trio Dhoore and more recently Shantalla, here is a new folk band from this small country from the Flanders. I want to talk about Novar.
Novar means new and it's true that the music of this band is a mess. It is difficult to assign a label to it since it is based on the traditional but with incursions marked by electro. Novar is an international band with two Belgians, Toon van Mierlo on bagpipes, accordion and saxophone and Jeroen Geerinck on mandolin and keyboards. As well as two Frenchmen, Thierry Nouat on the hurdy-gurdy and Aurélien Claranbaux on the accordion. All four of them have been involved in traditional music in various bands (Hot Griselda, Naragonia, Duo Absynthe...).
On their second album Starling, the sensitivity and exuberance of the hurdy-gurdy rubs shoulders with the brighter sound of the bagpipes. Together these two instruments lead the dance, skillfully supported by the raging accordion that accompanies the melodies and harmonics and the mandolin and keyboards that bring rhythm and depth to the band's music. Throughout this album, the bourrées, waltzes, polkas and mazurkas, composed mostly by Toon van Mierlo and Thierry Nouat for Savagnin - Le Chabris, follow one another at a frantic pace, giving their music a dynamic image.
Novar, a new traditional music that smells of the land with a touch of modernity that makes it its trademark.
Trad Records TRAD007 – www.novar.be