On their first three albums, London’s Noah & The Whale went from decent male-female alt-folk on debut Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down (QRO review) to a more accomplished break-up album in the following The First Days of Spring (QRO review) – after singer/guitarist Charlie Fink broke up with Peaceful contributor Laura Marling (QRO live review) – to a seventies spirit of uplift in their now-rock with Last Night On Earth (QRO review). Well, for the first time in the band’s history, they don’t change their outlook and/or style – and pull it off better than ever before.
Uplifting music is usually nauseating and saccharine, like ‘feel good news’ – even well done, it can wear after a while. Yet somehow Noah & The Whale are able to do it again on Heart of Nowhere. After the opening “Instrumental”, the group power-pop/rocks through numerous pieces detailing the up and downs of growing up. Fink probably didn’t have a seventies childhood, but it feels that way with “All Through the Night”, celebrating, not commiserating, a youth like something out of Freaks and Geeks. He’s honest but upbeat about his peers passing him by in maturing milestones on “Lifetime”, and doesn’t bemoan not knowing where he’s going on “Silver and Gold”. There are a few relatively sadder pieces – asking for “One More Night” with the girl who’s moved on, and a closing fare-thee-well in “Not Too Late” – but there’s no looking back in anger.
Bringing intimate, sad personal feelings to bear on one’s music is usually the domain of sad folksters, like Noah & The Whale’s first two albums. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, they’ve found something much more unique and special in bringing intimate, upbeat life stories, without being ‘up with people’.
Noah & The Whale – Lifetime
