noctaluca

In the mid-aughts, acclaimed musician Jason Ludwig decided to elevate his award-winning solo effort into something bigger and louder. Enter Noctaluca. Driving the outfit's engine alongside Ludwig are rhythmic onslaughters, the Schlunt brothers, and award-winning guitarist Aaron Almashy, all adept players in their own right whose artistry works in perfect lockstep with Ludwig's quick-shifting writing style and broad-range vocals. The result is a quartet that hums with chemistry.


On some unconscious level (particularly among fans) Noctaluca's sound seems to summon the cream of the classic rock crop--Zeppelin, Floyd, Sabbath--while wholly avoiding being derivative. They are, to their credit, their own force of nature. Political, powerful, catchy as hell, their catalog is a perfectly balanced blend of anthemic protest songs, playfully subversive pop, and weighty ballads that delve the human condition. Nearly any given track has a unique monumentalism or gravitas that feels like the natural continuation of some sonic legacy. You get the sense that you're listening in on Rock's dark horse yet to sprint from the gate.