In the wake of the founding Blue Swan Records last year, it appears that the genre best described as Stolas-core has been wildly successful. From the eponymous release by Stolas

8 years ago

In the wake of the founding Blue Swan Records last year, it appears that the genre best described as Stolas-core has been wildly successful. From the eponymous release by Stolas themselves, to Eidola’s amazing record of a few months ago, this genre which consists of a little bit of Thrice, a little bit of Muse, a little of Mars Volta and a whole lot of fun, is now firmly established. However, it appears that the roots of the genre go back before the days of Blue Swan Records themselves or the bands now signed to their roster; we present you with Children of Nova. Writing Imaginary Landscapes “way back” in 2012, Children of Nova present a perhaps more restrained, Muse-centric version of this genre. Head on below to listen for yourself.

“Moment of Clarity” is a good example of what these guys do: you can hear their influence on future acts all over this track. It lacks the ferocity and youth of Stolas for example but it more than makes up for it with an undeniable groove, excellent bass-drum interactions and, perhaps most of all, intriguing vocals. They live in this nice spot between Muse, Manic Street Preachers (yes) and As Tall As Lions. The result is a varied performance which knows how to achieve all sorts of things across the album.

The entirety of Imaginary Landscapes contains the held tension that might be felt in this track. It never quite explodes like Eidola do but it still contains this potential, the feeling that things are broiling beneath the surface. It’s a shame these guys aren’t around anymore since we’re sure they could have taught the current generation of this genre a lesson or two about restraint and album structure. Meanwhile, spin while you can. We can dream of their return together.

-EK

Eden Kupermintz

Published 8 years ago