Novena on a Nocturne is the debut album of the band The Good Life

The Good Life (band)

The Good Life is an indie rock band on Saddle Creek records.Started as a solo project of Cursive's frontman Tim Kasher, The Good Life quickly grew to become its own established group. The original intent of The Good Life was to provide Tim Kasher with a vehicle to perform songs that did not fit...

 from Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...

. The band is the side project of Tim Kasher

Tim Kasher

Tim Kasher is a musician from Omaha, Nebraska, and is the frontman of indie rock groups Cursive and The Good Life, both of which are on the Omaha based record label Saddle Creek Records. Prior to those bands, Kasher was in a band called Slowdown Virginia...

, lead singer of Cursive

Cursive (band)

Cursive is an American indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska, on Saddle Creek Records.-History:The band was formed in 1995 by Tim Kasher, Matt Maginn, Steve Pedersen , and drummer Clint Schnase. In 1997, they released Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes. After a couple years of touring, the band...

. It was released on Better Looking Records

Better Looking Records

Better Looking Records is a record label with offices in Los Angeles and San Diego. Founded in 1999, Paul Fischer, who DJ'd at KXLU college radio station in Los Angeles and worked at crank! Records, partnered with Dave Brown who ran Holiday Matinee Publicity and Muddle fanzine. The label grew...

in 2000.

Concept

This album was inspired by Tim Kasher's failed relationship and bitter divorce from his first wife Kim in 2000. The name shows the concept of the album as a novena, a Catholic devotion consisting of nine separate days of prayers, reflecting the album's nine tracks. The first track, "A Dim Entrance", depicts a character who is in the middle of a failing relationship and exhausted from trying to save it (Send me to bed, And I fall asleep / To an overwhelming sad). The remaining tracks are all introspective reflections into the relationship of the main character and his evaluation of the relationship. "The Competition" provides the listener with an overview of the relationship, from beginning to what will ultimately be the end. The final song, "A Golden Exit" describes the conversation between the main character and his estranged lover, ending the relationship and looking forward to a bright, new beginning for both people (Maybe we'll wake up with golden wings, Maybe we'll get wings / anything to set us free).

Track listing

1. "A Dim Entrance" – 3:38
2. "The Moon Red Handed" – 2:54
3. "Your Birthday Present" – 4:15
4. "An Acquaintance Strikes a Chord" – 3:12
5. "Twenty Two" – 3:32
6. "What We Fall for When We're Already Down" – 2:41
7. "Waiting on Wild Horses" – 3:43
8. "The Competition" – 4:52
9. "A Golden Exit" – 5:09