NORIA
Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel | SELF
Music
Press
“The first time I heard them I thought that I was diving under the water and disappear. Naked music, shivering with cold, and still warm in my stomach...
Something about them makes me feel most alone and most together: exposed sounds, rolling like water.
Noria is the new tsunami.
...Something in them excites me terribly. I believe them. I believe Nir when he's singing it was their last sunset, he's really trying to feel the pulse of the object of his love, doesn't let go of her hands, shouting deeply to her not to give up.
Those melodic shouts are faithfully accompanied by waves of music- slowly built and crashes into pier in complete honesty.
The frost in their music, which hovers over like a storm that threatens to occur, leaving your ears alert and awake, gives the listener the feeling that this fragility could be undermined at any moment.”
Translated from Hebrew, the original can be found here:
http://15percentdeaf.wordpress.com/2011/08/10/????-?????/
- Alma Elliott Hofmann, 15% Death Blog
Do you ever get that feeling of a certain something on the tip of your tongue, that you can't quite recall?
Well, that's what happened to me when I was listening to "Anthers", the excellent new E.P by "Noria".
Something about their sound reminded me of someone - and i couldn't recall exactly who. some musical influence, elusive and evasive, was floating in the air.
and no, it wasn't the more obvious Icelandic inspiration (Mum, Sigur ros), nor the Doves ballades which came to mind. there was something else hiding in these cool mists covering Noria's unique music. (Nir Tsfaty, Dotan Moshanov, Alon Peretz, Noa Segal and Orri Dror)
I was submerged by their music, these are forgtten sounds that I have'nt heard for a long while, a forgtten plesure that I have neglacted for too long.
And then, by the time I had listened to the album for the fourth time- it hit me. The lucid vulnerability of the lead singer - Nir tsfaty, is made out of the same material as Paul Buchanan's voice (lead singer for The Blue Nile)
and the band's music reminds me of the transformation Talk Talk had undergo when Tim Freeze- Green joined Mark Hollis.
And no, I don't know if Noria themselves are aware of these influences, and yes, I am mentioning musical giants, but if these magical sixteen minutes are an indication of what Noria will pull out of their hat next, I guess I won't have to eat my hat.
Their music moves around you like fairy dust in a northern forest, an intoxicating ambient-electro- folk- rock, infinite pleasure.
The mini album starts off with a repetitive drum beat over a sheet of keyboards. Tsfaty begins with a "spoken word" melody, then slowly comes the electric guitar and then the bass. It keeps on moving through four original haunted tracks that end all too soon.
Oh well, that's what they invented the repeat button for.
It all falls beautifully into place with Oren Eytan's intelligent production; the text is written as if these are native Anglo - Americans, and so is the accent.
The music is enchanting, perhaps it's something in the air of Jerusalem, where they come from.
These five musicians met at the academy of music and dance in Jerusalem and have been playing together for three years now. During this time they have refined their diverse musical ideas and influences into this current E.P- that, if god exists, will become a full length album in the near future.
In the meanwhile, I close my eyes in this hot August day in Tel Aviv and bang! I am teleported to another world- just like the name of the last track on this E.P - "Beauty of delusions".
Translated from Hebrew, the original can be found here:
http://www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4115689,00.html
- Reuven Bardach
Discography
Last Sunset(single)- released in July 2011
Anthers EP- released in April 2011
All music is available for free listening here:
www.Noria.Bandcamp.com
Photos
Bio
NORIA is a Jerusalem based rock group.
The band was founded in 2008 by Nir Tsfaty (vocals, guitar, and electronics), Dotan Moshanov (piano, keyboards, and vocals) and Alon Peretz (guitar and electronics).
The three were, at the time, composition students at the Jerusalem Music Academy. A few months later they were joined by Noa Segal (drums) and Orri Dror (bass) – two experienced musicians in the Israeli rock scene, who had played together for long time in several local bands before joining Noria.
Noria began searching for their own sound as a group by working rigorously in the studio for a period of over a year. The songs were written by Nir and arranged together with all of the group members. That time was mainly dedicated to balance between the two worlds- the digital and the acoustic, to create their own unique signature of sound.
The search for a common esthetic was a long and meticulous one, the references brought forward in the band's sessions ranged from classical chamber and orchestral music, through electronic music influences, to Rock and modern Icelandic music including artists such as Radiohead, Bjork, Sigur Ros, Coldplay and U2 who are common inspiration sources to all of the group members.
Noria began touring at the end of 2009 across Israel, mostly in Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem, and had played at the biggest indoor venues in the country.
In the end of 2010, the band took a step forward, when got back to the studio to record their first EP. At that point, Noria met and joined the producer Oren Eytan, who's in charge and taking part at many of the top productions in the Israeli music industry. With his guidance and care, the band collected their best songs, refined them, and finally recorded them. The result is 'Anthers'- the band's debut EP, which consist of four songs and what the band sees as a model for a debut album.
Noria have released their first single, 'Last Sunset', from their new EP in July 2011. The single is being played in radio stations in Israel- local and national.
These days the band is touring across Israel and working on new material for their debut album.
The band is planning to get their music on stages outside of Israel this year.
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