Novick, David

***With all thanks to GOD?, DAVID NOVICK has cycled back around for his second album release in less than a year. The reason for this rush-release? It’s AWESOME! Your Sister’s Hand stands distinctly from his debut, bringing the deep-country campfire folk vibe in from the great out-of-doors, where the shape of the sound is more defined—more pronounced, forward and colorful in arrangement, all of which allows the songs to shine brighter. In the water running in the creek speak all the voices of the world, yet it requires a certain kind of ear to hear them. Your Sister’s Hand was recorded in a room in San Francisco, but manages to convey a message from way out there in the pasture, which means David’s ability to conjure atmospherically is growing. Endlessly falling in love with a crumbling world, David’s songs reach towards the sight of eternity, but the textures of electric and acoustic guitars add contrast as they sooth and bristle next to each other and somehow opening the vista ever wider. Drums and vocal harmonies (either by David or CLAIRE PLUMB) leave ghostly thumbprints on the images. It’s a lonely sound; photographs of light pinned to the wall in an insolated room—but hardwood floors and songs bring life. A hallway party, groovin’ tea and whiskey. We get to dream again. Our friends are here, we are here, burgeoning.