Novadriver
Deeper High (CD) 2005 SmallStone
Novadriver's previous effort, 'Void', has long been a staple in my CD player, a perfect example of how to do the stoner/space thing and do it right. The band is simply a super-high energy, fuzzed-out musical force flying down the spaceways in your skull, creating timeless tuneage that matches the great bands of today with the giants of yesterday. The trouble is, there had been such a long gap between 2001's 'Void' and 'Deeper High' that I figured the band had simply imploded. They never really toured as far as I could tell, and things got to be unnaturally quiet. That's why I was especially gratified to read about the impending release of 'Deeper High' some time ago. Does it match 'Void'? It most assuredly does, though it seems somewhat darker than it's predecessor. The band still plays that magical combination of 70s hard rock FM muscle a la the MC5 and Aerosmith and contemporary stoner/space by the likes of Qualone, 500 Feet of Pipe, Valis, Dozer, Phased, and most of all Nebula. You might even recognize some Raging Slab and early Magnet, say about the time of 'Superjudge'. Novadriver is once again running on raw rocket fuel, burning clean and white from the Indy finish line to the moons of Jupiter and beyond, finally hooking up with that fabled stoner caravan far out in space. There's a sad note that brings it all back to earth, though, and that's the untimely death of bassist Jim Anders. By all accounts he was man of principle, a major force within the band. Let's hope the group can survive without him. Even though I didn't know him, somehow I sense that he would want it that way. In the meantime, pick this one up; I've got a strong feeling that its going to end up on more than one Top 10 list.	1. You Want Yours, You Want Mine 2. Roll You 3. Deeper High 4. Turn to Stone 5. Dark Aftermath 6. Machine 7. Bury Me Alive 8. Stars after Stars... 9. Push the River 10. Blackout 11. Whiteout Approx. 49 minutes
Reviewed by: Kevin McHugh