All Music Guide: 4 & 1/2 stars out of 5

Jason Ankeny wrote a glowing review for Aim Right For The Holes In Their Lives on the All Music Guide web site:

Novillero frontman Rod Slaughter moves past the mod minimalism of his previous band Duotang with Aim Right for the Holes in Their Lives. Embracing power pop harmonies, sunshine pop horn arrangements, and Krautrock-inspired synths, this near-perfect debut is most firmly aligned with fellow Vancouver pop dynamos and Mint labelmates the New Pornographers, sharing their knack for whip-smart melodies and ingratiating choruses. Aim Right for the Holes in Their Lives is a classicist pop record in every sense, recalling the halcyon days of AM radio -- virtually every song sounds like a forgotten hit from 1975, extolling virtues like buoyancy and grandeur as though they never went out of style.

Popmatters gives Novillero the nod

Popmatters noted Noviller in its roundup of “2005’s Canadian Anthems” and had some rather nice stuff to say about the latest album to boot. Thanks, Popmatters!

They combine the creative indie pop that Canadian bands have perfected over the last five years with a more muscular garage rock feel. They sound like a band unafraid to brave a ferocious Prairie winter, as opposed to fey Vancouverites dodging raindrops.”

Read the Year in Rock article »

Popmatters review : 8 out of 10

Popmatters reviewed Aim Right For The Holes In Their Lives and gave it 8 out of 10, going so far to say that it is “rich with perfection”. Hey, we didn’t write it, but it’s nice to read, at any rate.

Pop-rock music rarely weaves its namesake styles effectively. Pop music overrides rock music most often and turns it into a wimpy mush. Or bands are too concerned with rocking out and they forget the importance of hooks and wit. Novillero don’t have that problem. The hooks are plentiful, the arrangements are varied, the melodies are memorable and immediate, and the horns are tastefully implemented.

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Amplifier Magazine review

Amplifier Magazine wrote a great review of Aim Right For The Holes In Their Lives where they said such nice things as:

Fans of the UK’s current ‘new wave of the new wave of the new wave’ need to check out Novillero’s brilliant contribution to the movement. Splendid!

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The Globe And Mail profiles Novillero

Canada’s biggest national newspaper not only chose Aim Right For The Holes In Their Lives as their “Pick of the Week”, they also wrote up a killer profile of the band.

Office workers of the world unite: Your band is here, and its name is Novillero. This Winnipeg band’s songs have the finesse of good pop and the energy of rock. Their live set under canvas was one of the most exciting at the recent Winnipeg Folk Festival. But while the band can show you a good time, it also turns a disquieting mirror on the lives of those who toil in jobs that are too secure to give up, too full of compromise to embrace.

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Now Magazine : NNNN

Now Magazine is one of Toronto’s big weekly papers and gave Aim Right For The Holes In Their Lives four “n”s, saying:

… it’s brainy, jubilant piano-centric Motowny rock with triumphant horns that reminds me of Stereolab, then Sloan, then the Unicorns (R.I.P.) and then Sarah Slean. Diverse instrumentation, airtight songwriting, and word is their live show is more fun than being stuck in a port-a-potty with Kathy Griffin.

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Soul Shine Magazine : 4 stars

A short but nice review of Aim Right For The Holes In Their Lives (four stars!) appeared on the Soul Shine magazine web site.

There seems to be this unspoken idea (maybe just in this scribe’s head) that Novillero are a band that will be able to salvage Canadian rock’n’roll. Not indie rock’n’roll – the Arcade Fire have already done that – but the rock that Nickelback and Simple Plan have successful stuck a knife into.

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