The Daily Spin, March 4
Novo Amor | Cannot Be, Whatsoever
Welcome back to the Daily Spin, the series in which I review 365 albums during 2023. Happy March!
Each album will be given a rating on a scale from 0 to 10. You can look at the entire set here. Additionally, you can check out a list of my favorite song from each album right here.
If you want to suggest an album, good news! You can do so right here!
Album: Cannot Be, Whatsoever (2020)
Artist: Novo Amor
Link:
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Cannot Be, Whatsoever is a sparkling and shimmering glance at love through the tinted lens of self-discovery, in all its ups and downs. From the twinkling opener in ‘Opaline’ to the grounded closer in ‘Guestbook’, the album is simultaneously a journey and a respite, a breather in a time when so much was chaotic.Â
Under the shining falsetto of Ali Lacey - the Welsh musician better known as Novo Amor - a simple piano and the occasional undercurrent beat are all that’s necessary to set the tone for each song, harking to Phoebe Bridgers or Bon Iver in the way each song is constructed and, too, in the emotive nature of each track.
It’s very reminiscent of another favorite of mine in 22, A Million, melding electronic and acoustic instrumentals together under a falsetto, themes of love, loss, heartbreak, and hurt at the forefront of what turns into an ethereal experience by the end.Â
Rating: 9.5/10
Best Tracks: Opaline; Guestbook; No Plans
Worst Tracks: Birdcage