THE SKINNY: London native quartet Noah And The Whale's latest release is an album set to film, both of which are entitled The First Days of Spring.WEBSITE: http://noahandthewhale.com
MYSPACE: http://myspace.com/noahandthewhale
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Every once in a while, an artist of one field will take interest in another. An actor will start a band. A composer will paint his mistress a valentine, or in some cases, an artist will materialize a life-long love for another artform. Whatever the case may be, the final product is often something with great depth and ambition, be it simple or brilliant. For some, bridging the gap between sight and sound is a necessity because their art cannot be limited to just music and vise versa. Noah And The Whale have set to video their latest album release; a soundtrack and stand-alone record entitled The First Days of Spring which will accompany a film of the same name, both of which are primarily the brainchild of Charlie Fink, Noah's frontman.
Upon first listen of The First Days of Spring, it is apparent that the album is quirky and plays a bit like a movie score. Having not seen the accompanying film, however, I can tell you that the album plays smoothly and beautifully all by itself, allowing the nuances of these eccentricities to punctuate the music just as it would the film. The album is extremely passive, on the whole (especially from the beginning), and leaves plenty of room for a visual aesthetic as it slowly lulls you into more upbeat tracks like "Love Of An Orchestra," one of two of the album's noted singles, which begins with what sounds like a professional choir paving the way for a very Sufjan Stevens-esque track full of unison choir lines and an upbeat, highly percussive groove brimming with personality and an addictive vocal melody. Following this swell is the second of two instrumentals on the record, justly named "Instrumental II," which is a simple and lovely reverberated solo guitar melody, providing yet another texture to an album that is all variety.
The second half of The First Days of Spring is entirely more captivating than the slow but effective first half. It's this contrast, however, that brings the album together as both a soundtrack and a record, as opposed to an unrelated collection of music. This effect is nothing short of brilliant, and furthermore I'm nothing short of very impressed at how these young Londoners have quite literally composed an exceptionally cohesive and mature sophomore (yes, only their second) release. As the album comes to a close, tracks like "Slow Glass" provide the period to the end of the sentence. The atmosphere painted by the track speaks finale without any climactic finish, but with an unambiguous closing mood. Following this is the album's last track entitled "My Door Is Always Open" which provides one of the most haunting moments on the record as the band joins in unison atop a fresh folk guitar strum: "I love with my heart, and I hold it in my hands, but ya' know my heart's not yours."
As is with most any recorded work, there will be good and bad moments which severely dictate how often we listen, what mood we're in when we listen, and why we listen to a record. Noah And The Whale's The First Days of Spring, however, is not a run of the mill record, but quite literally a soundtrack; a collection of music with highs and lows that contribute toward a bigger picture. And, though this isn't an entirely new idea, Noah And The Whale certainly lie among a small minority of music makers that have done it well.
FAVORITE TRACK: "Love of an Orchestra"
FOR FANS OF: Volcano Choir, Sufjan Stevens
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