Review: Noah and the Whale 'The First Days Of Spring'

"I do see the film and the album as being together, as a unified thing... but the album very much came first - it has its own internal narrative".

Rule one. Never listen to a lead singer of a band when they start speaking. In this case, Charlie Fink, singer and songwriter in Q-darlings, Noah and the Whale. Basically, NATW have made an album with a film in mind, which they've made on a "minuscule budget".

That shouldn't change the way you listen to the album though, because, regardless of pompous ideas, it's just a bunch of sounds like any other. But what kind of sound? Well, as the artwork suggests, this crew like pastoral, folky things... with a dash of amplified equipment.

This album, not offensive in any way, is indicative of What's Wrong With Rock Music in The Noughties. It's earnest, sincere and prone to supposed majestic swoops of grand orchestrations, giving the listener a very clear warning shot that This Is Serious Music For Smart People.

It's The Elbow Effect.

Currently, the world is a pretty dreary place and white rock music is reflecting that. It's become introspective and weary. Each phrase and syllable has been poured over so much that the weight of seriousness leaves you either nauseous or believing in something that simply isn't there. This LP reeks of a bad critic saying "this record will change your life" or using phrases like "soaring".

It's none of these things. In fact, it's quite the opposite. It leans heavily on the Gloom-Country of Bonnie Prince Billy, without any of that quirky, oddballery of Will Oldham's various character inventions. Noah and the Whale are, quite simply, the crushing bores at the house party, endlessly tuning up guitars and thrilling about Gram Parsons records.

Of course, if that's your bag, you'll love this LP. The whole singer-songwriter thing will tick your need to feel that you are indeed listening to some very well crafted music. However, you really can see one of these tracks featuring on a tender moment on Gossip Girl or on an advert for a touchy-feely building society or something.

The whole suite feels incredibly familiar. Of course, this being a white rock band, that's fine, because this implies a certain thinking... that thinking is that At Least They Know Cool Records And They're Influenced By Them... It's Scholarly, Not Generic.

Sadly, it is inordinately generic. It's the bastard offspring of a million late '90s alt.country bands, filling the void left by Ryan Adams since he went into retirement. What 2009 needs is something urgent and vital... something to cut through the glaze and make you feel alive. This album feels like the last words of a narcoleptic before he sleeps himself to death.

This amble through a Sunday afternoon is all well and good, but really, we need to bring on the dancing horses. The world is depressed... we don't need 'The First Days Of Spring' handing us the pillow to smother ourselves with. Once again, it's toward pop where we must look to get our kicks. Noah and the Whale are exacerbating the problem. 2009 is the year of the slow death.

Available on Cherry Tree Records

Comments

[Marcus]

Shame. Their soaring first album changed my life and had a great Mariachi feel to it. I guess that's gone now.

[louie]

this crap is the child of the world's most pompous and stomach turning music blog the world has ever known. PITCHFORK!!